Top 10 Automotive Design Terms

4. Theme line

If a bone line is subtle, a theme line is obvious. These elements define the shape of a vehicle and set its overall tone. White said you don’t want more than three theme lines in any particular design because, “It would be too busy, there would be too much going on. You wouldn’t know where to look.”

“[A theme line] is a line that’s very pronounced and one that defines the theme of a car,” said White (hence the name). “It’s like that Alfred Hitchcock silhouette you see at the start of the show … [it] defines the main features.”