Design Renegade: Industrial Design Alum Creates Power Sport Vehicles of the Future
Christopher Rudwal designs vehicles in one of the most interesting niche markets in the
transportation industry: the ATV, or All-Terrain Vehicle.
 Christopher is an Automotive and
Powersport Vehicle Designer for Bombardier Recreational Products, or BRP, the company that invented
the snowmobile. BRP offers a broad range of power sport vehicles, including Sea-Doo, Ski-Doo, and
Can-am Roadster.
A native of Quebec, Christopher feels right at home working in Canada for BRP, where he designs
for the company's Can-am brand. He started interning for the company while still enrolled as
an MFA student at Academy of Art University. Upon graduation, the company hired him
immediately.
During his first year at BRP, he worked on many Can-am projects, including the all-terrain
Can-am Renegade, which is Christopher's favorite project to date. After his first year at
BRP, he was transferred to the company's Advanced Concepts Team, where he has been working for
three years now.
Christopher's main task at BRP along with his teammates is to determine what the future may hold
in the world of power sports. Most people would feel a lot of pressure in Christopher's
position; after all, he is participating to the future of a major brand of vehicles has been placed
in his hands. But for Christopher, the job comes naturally.
He has always found himself designing sci-fi, futuristic vehicles in his spare time. And
now, it's his job to design the coolest, craziest vehicles you'll see outside of a science fiction
film: these are the type of vehicles he's been doodling all his life. As Christopher puts it, "I
get to draw vehicles, which I believe will be the future in terms of usage and design."
But before he came to Academy of Art University, it seemed as though Christopher's imaginative
designs would remain on paper. He remembers his time at the Academy, when Director Tom Matano
taught him to channel his creativity. "Tom told me I had to make my designs more marketable," says
Christopher. And that's exactly what he has done.
 Today, Christopher pushes the envelope of what's possible
in vehicle design, while staying on top of social and economic trends, and staying within
production capabilities. "Within those guidelines, we have a lot of freedom," says Christopher.
Christopher is doing what he's always loved to do, but with a big difference: working at BRP,
he's been able to see some of his designs become actual vehicles. "You get feedback on something
that was in your head, and one day it might be something you will see on the streets - that's the
best part of the job."
Christopher was Valedictorian of the 2004 graduating class at Academy of Art University. Since
he joined BRP in 2005, he has continued to win a lion's share of awards and distinctions, including
being named a Finalist at the 2007 Peugeot Design Contest, winning the 2005 Marine Research and
Design Alliance Contest, getting 1st Prize at the 2005 Boating Leaders Scholarship, 1st Prize
Sovran Award for the 2005 Amphibious Vehicle Concept, and the list of top prizes goes on and
on.
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