By Eric Czarnik
C & G Staff Writer

GROSSE POINTE PARK — Turning a hot rod into a hot logo might seem like a cinch if you’ve had four decades of car design experience. But when Woodward Dream Cruise organizers sought the talents of Dick Ruzzin, they wanted to forge a new path.

“The Dream Cruise board had apparently decided that they wanted to move away from the traditional hot rod art that is utilized on T-shirts,” Ruzzin said. “They wanted something different.” 

Ruzzin, 72, of Grosse Pointe Park is a creative design consultant for the Dream Cruise.

He is no stranger to making attractive autos — when he retired in 1998 from General Motors Design Center, he was director for Chevrolet car design. Over his career, he was directly responsible for the designs of almost 50 models and was involved to some capacity in the design of about 140 cars.

After he accepted the job in February, the logo creation took about five weeks, Ruzzin said. Using his background in hot rod culture, Ruzzin said, he designed a car that couldn’t be recognized by model. It was part of his plan to make an image of something new, to not distract from the logo’s other qualities.

“In this particular case, I was able to bring the emotion and character of car design into the logo,” he said.

The blowing hair of the driver, the oval shape of the hot rod’s wheels and the reflections on the hubcaps suggest motion and speed, he said. The clouds on the car and in the background were added because they have been a recurring theme in past logos.

After Ruzzin made his logo’s final version — with markers and colored paper, not computer software — Rochester-based Catalyst Design helped prepare it for commercial use on hats, pins and other merchandise.

Dream Cruise Executive Director Don Tanner was impressed with the results and said he would consider using Ruzzin’s work in the years ahead. “He did quite a bit of background research and just pulled from his great knowledge of the car industry and automotive heritage,” Tanner said.

Besides the logo, Ruzzin is doing strategic concept and creative work for a new car show that is part of this year’s Dream Cruise festivities. In designing the appearance of the stage and other parts of the show, he finds himself using iterations of his logo.

“We’re getting a lot of mileage out of it,” he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Eric Czarnik at eczarnik@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1058.