The Creative Unit Inc.

SORA electric motorcycle for LITO Green Motion (2010), right side view, Red Dot Design Award, 2011
Complete industrial design, styling, and human factors. Design strategy and boards (mood, DNA, trends, lifestyle, product positioning, and competition), ideation and renderings, CAD Class A surfacing and modelling, planning and follow-up. (Studio shot by  photographer Christian Bergeron, agency: Newbase Media.)

SORA POLICE PACK
Electric motorcycle for LITO Green Motion (2017), three-quarter front view, Les Grands Prix du Design Award 2017. Five months, six designers and an exciting industrial design challenge have given birth to the award-winning SORA electric motorcycle. Focusing on the precise objective of matching or surpassing the quality of the BMW R1100 RT used by the police force, the team turned to the electric motorcycle SORA, by L'Unité Créative/ The Creative Unit/ LITO Green Motion, and looked into its sporty and powerful DNA. The Company succeeded in creating a version of the vehicle that is more comfortable, aerodynamic, functional and adapted to police practices. All this improvement has been completed with minimal structural changes and by working side by side with the police officers. The jury highlights the technical and technological approach of the project, the initiative to develop an electric vehicle with the help of the police force and the discrete graphic design of the processed product. (Text by Juli Pisano)

ENERGYA
Reverse trike motomobile for Higgins-Aubé (2008), Red Dot Design Award for design concept, 2009. Design strategy and boards, product positioning, competition analysis, trends, lifestyle, DNA. Preliminary concept, rendering, CAD Class A surfacing. Design patents. Green performance perception: The Energya^TM three‑wheeled vehicle, also known as a motomobile, was designed to be a light, high-performance vehicle.

Since the design/engineering team shares the philosophy of the late Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus Cars^TM, weight reduction was indeed the defining factor in the choice of this type of vehicle.

Styling and design were conducted through a state-of-the-art R&D process. We strive to resolve the main problems related to this compact architecture jointly with Engineering. For example, ease of ingress-egress and side impact protection were made possible through the use of a half-door, which also improves general styling by connecting the lower front cowling to the rear fairing with an uninterrupted beltline.

There are several advantages to a vehicle with only three wheels. First and foremost, three‑wheeled vehicles are considered motorcycles in many jurisdictions. Since the motomobile does not feature many of the heavier components found in an automobile, it can therefore be made lighter, which improves its performance.

Typical preliminary design sketches for our customers by Martin Aubé (in-house electric snowmobile project).

DTS 129 for Camso
Conquer deep snow and go where your off-road motorcycle has never gone before. This lightweight, high-performance dirt-to-snow bike conversion system delivers the off-road motorcycle agility you love. The Creative Unit was involved from the first ideation sketches to the final Class A surfaces. Engineering was developed by Camso’s expert team. The product was designed to integrate seamlessly with the original balance, dynamics, and styling of users’ bikes.

CKX TRANZ
Motorcycle and snowmobile helmet from Kimpex Inc. In 2005, Kimpex commissioned us to create a new design identity (DNA) for its CKX line. The TRANZ modular helmet was the first item in this new generation of high‑performance products. Inspired by the F-117 Nighthawk and the B-2 Spirit stealth aircraft, the air vents at the front and crown, as well as the lateral lines are now significant design features. The design DNA helps with brand identification. The helmet has a built-in sun visor and a quick-release attachment system. The standard initial R&D phases were done by our studio. We later assisted Kimpex in the final development phases. Throughout the project, The Creative Unit deferred to Kimpex’s significant experience in the marketing and distribution of recreational products. We added our design experience to make the CKX TRANZ helmet a commercial success. It is still on the market in 2016, and was commercialized by Artic Cat a few years ago—a testament to its classic design and shape. Production numbers quadrupled in its first year on the market due in part to the new striking and dynamic design. (Studio shot by photographer Matthieu Lambert.)

Camso UTV 4S1
Design styling from preliminary sketches to final renderings and graphics.

HINTERLAND concept van 
Given the increased focus on greener vehicles and the fact that Canadians, in particular, seem to be looking for alternatives to the common modes of transportation, we believe the time has come to unveil a project developed by our industrial design team that we worked on between 2004 and 2008: the “Hinterland 1” project (from the German, meaning a place untouched by man, far from urban areas). We applied for patents (industrial design) in Canada (119595), the United States (US D560,554S), and Europe. Certificates were issued in 2008 for Canada and the United States. The goal of the entire project was to create a highly distinctive and innovative incarnation of a Canadian design for a long-range electric vehicle, an incarnation intended to stand out from current industry standards and that could be adapted for individual transportation and carpooling (taxi)—a hybrid form of transportation combining aspects of individual transportation and mass transit.

The basis for this thought process consists in adapting a cylindrical shape, such as that used in the aeronautics industry for plane fuselages, to a four-wheeled passenger car body. Because this manufacturing process has been perfected in our region (by Bombardier), it could become a visual statement for “green transportation,” representing a paradigm shift in the automotive industry. This original shape is also an attempt to identify a characteristic look for a Canadian‑made economy electric car with the potential to become a recognizable national icon, rather like our other distinctive and characteristic emblems (for example, the Olympic Stadium or Montréal’s metro cars). A good example of this is taxicabs in London and New York.

By combining artistic, technical, and scientific expertise (recreational vehicles, electric motors and batteries, aeronautics, aluminum, plastics processing, IT, etc.), with the help of a manufacturer willing to explore this avenue, we could design, produce, and sell a technically and distinctly innovative passenger vehicle that is elegant in its simplicity, non-polluting, recyclable, safe, and adapted to the North American climate, while providing jobs for thousands of specialists and qualified workers. 

FTX-148 Brush Cutter for Camoplast (now Prinoth Ltd.)
The new design, which provides visual continuity with the line of all-terrain utility vehicles (Trooper, Trooper HD, and Patrol), aims to increase brand value through the development of a common design DNA. An important issue from the outset was determining a suitable position for the operator and adjusting the windshield angle and contours. A preliminary interior design was proposed.

FTX-148 Brush Cutter
Visual integration of the entire vehicle—cabin, hood, fender, and other protective elements—was carried out during the various development phases. The engineering, prototypes, and detailed drawings were all provided by Camoplast and its suppliers. A winning engineering-design-marketing collaboration, the FTX-148 brush cutter was featured in the “Head, Heart, Hands: 40 Years of Industrial Design” exhibition at Université de Montreal in 2009.

Volvo - Prevost Car (X3-45 Coach), 2004-2005.
The Creative Unit Inc. was hired to round out the in-house industrial design team and contributed to all the preliminary concept phases: design boards, conceptual ideation sketches, packages/architecture refinement, 2D renderings, 2D full size, instrument panel design, driver area 3D mock-up, and clay model follow-up.

The Volvo Group has relied on our ability to design visionary shapes that pass the test of time, in collaboration with a team of professionals from Prevost.

NRC Industries 20CS and 25CS Wreckers:
“Feeling like you can’t find the perfect truck for smaller jobs? Not looking to compromise performance for size? Then you have to take a look at the impressive 20CS! Now offered with a rustproof composite body, this stylish 20-ton machine is ideal to tow tractors and heavy trucks and for recovery in urban areas” (http://nrc-industries.com/equipment/wreckers/). The Creative Unit Inc. provided all the industrial design services to complete the in-house engineering work on these two wreckers: DNA analysis, design positioning, preliminary concept sketches, refinement renderings, and final CAD 3D models (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMMGQ1j16vw).

Prinoth PANTHER T8 
Think of the PANTHER T8 crawler carrier as the most versatile of utility vehicles. Just about any implement can be fitted to the PANTHER’s 860-mm (34-in.) truck-inspired chassis with little to no modifications, making installation simple and easy. The PANTHER T8 can effortlessly carry up to 7,260 kg (16,000 lb.) of heavy equipment, materials, and supplies out to the worksite while exerting very low ground pressure. The Creative Unit Inc. provided industrial design services to complete the in-house engineering of this carrier: platform strategy sketches and renderings, preliminary bodywork concept sketches, refinement 2D renderings, and bodywork final model follow-up.

DEMERS AMBULANCES:
The Creative Unit has been involved in more than eight  ambulance projects since 2007, from exterior livery and cab riser design to interior design proposals, as well as intensive DNA work and accessories design.

DEMERS AMBULANCES:
One of our most appreciated and acclaimed services is concepts ideation sketches to support engineering R&D and sales—effective, fast, precise, and convincing.

Advanced snowmobile concept rendering.
Another technique sample requested by our customer to visualize possible concepts before investing in elaborate CAD models.

Styling of snow groomer bodywork (side panels and air intake only)
From sketches to final surfaces. (Prinoth – New Bison and New Bison X)

Inspired by the F-117 Nighthawk and B-2 Spirit stealth aircraft, the TX517 helmet brings new meaning to the proportions of products in this category. The vents at the crown reflect certain aeronautic features and streamline the shell and the sun visor. Several trade journalists were both surprised and delighted by this new product’s unique appearance. The standard initial R&D phases on the preliminary surfaces were done by our studio. We later assisted Kimpex in the final development phases. The CKX TX517 helmet was featured in the “Head, Heart, Hands: 40 Years of Industrial Design” exhibition at Université de Montreal in 2009. (Studio shot by photographer Matthieu Lambert.)