Designed around a unified theme. You can add details and elements, but they should reflect or compliment the theme. It’s like trinkets or Where’s Waldo. You keep finding new things that are exciting. See an Auburn Boattail.

This Auburn is at the Gilmore and it’s a national treasure. It’s dripping with detail, not no one thing is unnecessary. Also, take in the Alfa 8C or the cousin, the Disco Volante.

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Each curve, each piece of brightwork has a job to do visually.

The F-type above does God’s work.

Bad design is fussy, it add elements hither and yon just because ‘it needs something right here’. See: Anything Japanese right now. All of it. Mazda 6 and CX-5 get a pass, but otherwise, all Japanese manufacturers need to fire everybody. Bad design also takes an unnecessary diversion. The Maxima may be the worst. This is way worse in person. I physically react to the sight of this rear end. Japan has done stunning work in the past. See the 240Z or my beloved Conquest widebody. They nail it on occasion, but not right now

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And it ain’t a good reaction. The Malaise era is good for stuff and things and do-das and more on top of more because more is more.

Lines and shapes and vees and waterfalls and points and slants and vectors and peaks and droops and arches and more arches and scales and grids and egg crate and gills and vinyl and chrome and more chrome and painted silver because too much chrome and ridges and edges and...