Meet Omar Gonzalez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Omar Gonzalez.

Hi Omar, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today. 
I’m Omar Gonzalez, originally from Monterrey Nuevo Leon Mexico, currently a Transportation designer at Hyundai Design North America CA. and this is a little bit of my story… 

Since I was a little kid, I was very interested on drawing and doing art. Right about when I was 10 years old, I did studied oil painting classes, that where I knew that I wanted to dedicate my life to sketch and getting paid for it. Then, a few years later, in my high-school years, I stopped doing arts; let’s say I was in that phase in my life where I was lost, failing in classes, not doing pretty well, and a typical kid not paying attention and making drawings on his notebook all day. 

After high school, I discovered a career that I didn’t know about before called Industrial design. This is the moment when things start making sense, clicks in my mind, finding this career path where I can imagine, drawing and eventually build products in real life, sounded like a dream job. All of a sudden, I was the top on my class, people looked at me saying that I’ve always been one of those “smart gifted kids” but not really, the only thing I was pretty sure is that I finally was on the right track. 

During my years studying industrial design, I keep looking for challenges; something was missing, I wasn’t fully satisfied then, that day finally came, I discover my true passion: Car Design, one of the most complex majors in art and design, a very sophisticated knowledge that only few people in the world are able to actually work as such. That day I decided to do anything in my power to learn and pursue an almost ” impossible” journey to become a transportations designer. 

Meanwhile when I was on my industrial design career I was involved in many global competitions, one of them was from General Motors, where students across US from the top schools such as Art center College of Design in Pasadena and College for Creative studies in Detroit. Where competing. That’s one of the ways I gain knowledge about car design. I became finalist in that competition, and I got invited to NAIAS (North America International Auto-show), where I meet new people who asked me in what school I was since that competition was only for students from USA and I had to admit that I lied saying that I was studying at art center in order to get access to that competition, even though I was not enrolled on any school back then. 

Right after the finalist ceremony, where they announced the winners, not me, I was invited to an “After Party Sketch Battle,” where professionals from the automotive industry were judging, and I was competing against the best students across the US from different countries. 

That was the competition that I’ve won! That day I considered that my career as a car designer had started, that day after winning that Sketch battle, I was finally on the map of this very small industry, that day people begin know who Omar Gonzalez was… 

Here’s the link: 

https://www.basf.com/us/en/media/news-releases/2016/01/P-US-16-005.html 

Years later, in 2017, I said goodbye to my friends and family, grabbed my bag pack, some cash that I had borrowed from my friends to buy a plane ticket, and half of the first month of rent, and I moved to California to pursue my career as a car designer. 

I would like to no mention details, but I came with no money and no financial support from any institution in Mexico, just brought my portfolio that I’ve been working in order to get an scholarship; the rest I did figure it out… that all I would say pure effort and hard work to make things happen. 

Long story short, I got in one of the most famous and prestigious schools in the world, Art Center College of Design, 

During my years at the school, I’ve worked really hard, few hours of sleep, many hours of effort beyond the regular life of a student; since everything was on me, I was basically alone in this journey financially speaking, I have to mentions that I’ve always have the moral support of my parents, who gave me a lot in my years in Mexico, but coming to the USA was basically an ” Impossible mission” that was another story, a story that I was in full charge to write it and make it happen. 

I did several internships here in California as a student, my first internship was at Honda Advanced Design, second was at BYD Motors both in Downtown LA, and finally before I graduate, I made an internship at Mercedes Benz, in Carlsbad CA. 

In 2022, Spring I finally graduate for Art Center College of Design, with a successful grad-show and projects that turned into several offers from the industry, apparently my plan worked. That day at my grad show, I’ve got a visit from Hyundai’s Vice President and managers, inviting me to join to Hyundai’s new program, a “Special Project,” a non-conventional car design opportunity where we get to design the future of the brand, an opportunity that I can’t talk about it, but I definitely don’t regret taking it. 

Today, I’m working as a Transportation Designer at the Advanced Future Mobility team called “Q Branch.” 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In 2017 I said goodbye to my friends and family, grabbed my bag pack, some cash that I had borrow from my friends to buy a plane ticket and half of the first month of rent and I moved to California to pursue my career as a car designer. 

I would like to no mention details, but I came with no money and no financial support from any institution in Mexico, just brought my portfolio that I’ve been working in order to get a scholarship, the rest I did figure it out… I would say pure effort, motivation, and hard work to make things happen. 

During my years at the school, I’ve worked really hard, few hours of sleep, many hours of effort beyond the regular life of a student, since everything was on me, I was basically alone in this journey financially speaking. However, I have to mention that I’ve always had the moral support from my parents, who gave me a lot in my years in Mexico, but coming to the USA was basically an ” Impossible mission” that was another story, a story that I was in full charge to write it and make it happen. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I think, talking about me as a designer; I can say that many people claim that I have a very distinctive style in the way I design, sketch, and build things. In my own opinion, I think I have a strong desire to make things in a different way, not just for the sake of being different but to make meaningful creations that potentially can change the world or make a huge impact; in other words, I pursue the truth, not trends, there things in life that are timeless and it’s for a reason, I want to create new mobility products that push humanity forward. 

Also, I want to mention that I would not label myself just as a designer; labels sometimes create boundaries on what you can really achieve in this life; today is design, tomorrow is business, and eventually, in the future, I want to build my own company that provide radical mobility products that change the course of history. 

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I believe that we have the capacity to achieve anything we want; we all possess one of the most valuable asset as a human being something that is still very mysterious up to this date, “our brain.” The way it works sent us apart from all living species in this planet, and we have the capacity to shape our lives and give it direction, with enough consistency and effort. 

I understand that everyone’s circumstances are different; we all have born in different levels at the race; we don’t choose where and how to born who our parents are, for instance; however, that’s life, and we have to choose to complain and stay where we are, or embrace things as they are and use everything in our power to become better versions of ourselves. 

I think mainly resilience is what fuel myself: consistency, effort, the awareness that as long as I’m healthy, I have the ability to learn anything, and overcome any problem, and outwork my competition, 

Being aware that many people that made great achievements in the history of humanity were the same type of people who were crazy enough to believe in themselves. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ocorpdesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ocorp_design/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-gonzalez-735843191/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3h0sFgdPX3R6AHm7QjL1Vg