Think You Know How To Build A Snowman? Think Again!

Winter is definitely here. All over the country people are dealing with or preparing to deal with snow and cold weather. So, how does a major OEM like Ford Motor Company prepare for snow in their neck of the woods?

Why they put their U.S. Design Teams to the test to design the ultimate snowman. The idea behind this came from the folks at corporate to use this challenge as a team-building exercise.

In November, the teams kicked off the holiday season with a snowman-design challenge. Nine teams were given three pieces of white Styrofoam™, and instructed to work together, document the process, and have fun. Then the snowman would be given new homes. Three of the Ford snowmen would be delivered this month to two Michigan orphanages and a senior citizens home. The remaining six will be housed at Ford design studios.

Perfectly sculpted and painted, with some of the creations lit from within and wrapped in a suede-like fabric, each snowman is thoughtfully designed to capture the strengths of its team. From Ford’s color and materials studio came a snowman featuring paint domes as vest, twigs textured with sparkling crystals for arms, and a basket-weave top hat. Studio 2000X, the team behind most Ford vehicle animations, designed a punker snowman with technology features such as camera-lens eyes. The Ford team responsible for interiors presented a sled-bound trio of snowmen, complete with tablet guiding the way.And several teams charged with developing vehicle prototypes debuted snowmen with detailed stitching, polished surfaces and refined curves.

Each one of these nine Ford snowmen reflects the spirit of the holiday season. Even when inspired by a heavy-metal band with wildly painted faces. We must admit this is our favorite. Who knew Gene Simmons could be so cute as a snowman!

Party on Ford Design team, party on!