CLEVELAND, OH.- The auto industry may have seemed glum for a while, but there is promise. There is a new generation of thinkers who are inspiring and influencing the future of design. One of them is Brian Peterson. A 2009 Cleveland Institute of Art graduate in industrial design, Brian (4th in from top left in the photo) is one of eight winners (from hundreds of entries and 32 countries) in this year’s prestigious Interior Motives Design Awards.

Brian’s award for Best Lifestyle Interior / Personalization is for a concept he developed while at CIA called the Nissan Mobile Maid Project, a design for the modern cleaner. Dan Cuffaro, head of CIA’s industrial design department, says Brian’s accomplishment “is a great honor and I believe it represents The Cleveland Institute of Art’s ability to attract and develop top talent. Automotive interior design is a CIA strength because of our dual emphasis on product and transportation design.”

The Interior Motives Design Awards, launched in 2003, are judged for innovation and sustainability by the world’s most experienced design professionals in the industry. The ceremony, on September 16, was hosted in the glamorous Cocoon Club in Frankfurt, Germany and celebrated the achievements of the next generation of car designers.

“Winning an Interior Motives Design Award is like winning an Oscar for a car designer,” says Brian Peterson. “It was CIA’s discipline in teaching a product design approach that essentially led me to design a car for a maid service and win this award.”