Škoda pampers exceptional talent: How a young paint shop becomes a design star – Garáž.cz

Her name is Agáta Fraňková and she is currently studying paintwork at Škoda Auto Secondary Vocational School. In the second year, Agáta took part in the preparation of the student car Azubi Roadiaq, i.e. the Enyaq motorhome. And that may have changed her life.

Originally, she was supposed to be in charge of painting the project, but she offered to help with the sketches of the initial design. She did so well that her work caught the attention of exterior design coordinator Jiří Hadaščok and Škoda Auto chief designer Oliver Stefani. They even “pulled” her out of the paint booth after a while and offered her an internship in the design department of the car company.

She came there to gather experience, to learn. “It’s really intense. In the beginning, the designers led by Oliver Stefani and Karl Neuhold taught me, for example, the correct proportions of the sketches, and I feel that I have progressed a lot in this regard. I also started working with the graphic programs that are used here. I learned to use a modern tablet with a pencil, which allows you to sketch practically as on paper,” Agáta describes her impressions.

“It works great for me here. Everyone is nice to me, they like to work with me, they support me in trying new things. There is a great team spirit here. Oliver Stefani once saw a sketch of mine that he liked, so he came back and gave me a few tricks,” Agáta smiles. “I try to put something new into drawing, something that no one has seen before. This is quite difficult, and that’s why you need to look for different inspiration and move on,” he adds.

According to her, working in design is really intense, but it is something she would get used to. “Probably every job can be stressful, you can be under pressure because you can’t keep up with something or something doesn’t turn out the way you need it to. But it’s my dream job and I would definitely get used to this pressure,” says Agáta. “I also like how several languages ​​are spoken in the local environment with absolute self-awareness,” he adds.

For now, Agáta is mainly learning, but she would still like to be an asset to the design studio. He is involved in daily work and some specific projects. And if she gets the chance, she would like to influence the design language of Škoda cars in the future. For example, she likes the current direction of the family of electric models, which should have a uniform design language, but at the same time, according to her, should be more differentiated from each other. “I like more aggressive curves, when the car frowns a bit, it looks dangerous. Or, on the contrary, cars that seem to make people laugh,” Agáta describes her taste.

Among modern Škoda cars, she appreciates, for example, the Octavia RS of the third generation or the Superb of the third generation, but she would also look for inspiration for some of her drawings in the past. “For me, the first generation Škoda Fabia and the first generation Octavia are great models, they are amazingly timeless cars,” reveals Agáta.

At the moment, she is mainly focused on completing her studies at the college, but she admits that she is also thinking about the future of being a designer, which she originally dreamed of, she just couldn’t find a way. She also enjoyed cars since she was a child.

“The very first meeting with the people from the design management was fascinating for me, but I didn’t really expect anything from it. The surprise was great, I am very grateful for this opportunity,” says Agáta about the internship, which she attended at the end of the last school year. Now she plans to go into design instead of working on the production line for the entire school year.

“We talked with Oliver Stefani about the fact that after finishing school, I should do a two-year extension with a high school diploma and then probably head to some university. I also deal with courses and a certificate in English. It can be seen that they are interested in me here and want to move me on,” says Agáta. “I still try to work with the fact that nothing is decided. I still have a long way to go, but the motivation is huge,” he says humbly.

“Agáta is very perceptive and hardworking, and she also has an undeniable talent. We are happy that we could discover such talent and that we can support its development,” says Jiří Hadaščok, exterior design coordinator.

And all we have to do is wish Agatha the best of luck on her journey to her dream.