nicholas latkovic

pa·nache \pə-ˈnash, -ˈnäsh\
Function: noun
Date: 1553

1 : an ornamental tuft (as of feathers) especially on a helmet

2 : dash or flamboyance in style and action : VERVE

- Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

General Motors, 1967.

Those in industrial design were introduced to his work as prime examples of automotive rendering. Graphic designers and illustrators have come across a piece or two in their search for all things ephemeral.

When Pontiac introduced their new “Wide Track” vehicles in 1959, Art Fitzpatrick was brought in to execute the artwork for the new campaign. Over the next 12 years, Art would develop a healthy relationship with Pontiac creating 285 illustrations. Each reflected the shift in automotive design as cars shed excess chrome and flair for clean lines that exuded formality and refinement.

To produce his famous “wide” look, Fitzpatrick traced photos of the new car, cut the tracings into pieces, then “stretched” the car into bolder proportions. “We wanted pictures that were different,” Fitzpatrick says. “Impact is the name of the game, so we went with predominately front views—even cropping the cars so they looked too big for the page.”

Van Kaufman (a former illustrator for Disney) created exotic backdrops and a spectrum of weather conditions that Fitzpatrick would balance out in the reflective surfaces of the car. Working together, the two not only crafted advertisements, but visual stories that communicated Pontiac’s first complete brand image.