Who is Gregor Duler?

My full name is Gregor Duler and I was born on January 9th in Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia. I have been drawing since I could pick up a pencil; always scribbling things on pieces of paper. I would create not just 2D arts but also 3D, out of paper, wood, mud%u2026 any material that was handy. But I focused mainly on 2D creations.

My favorite "tool of the trade" from the beginning was the pencil, and it has been my favorite tool till this day. The best thing about the pencil is that it is so versatile; you can easily erase what you don't like and enhance what you do, or if you don't like the eraser you just press the pencil down harder and define the dominant line that way.

After the pencil and paper technique, the computer was a new step up, at first as something to experiment with, but soon it showed its possibilities as a tool for creating amazing pictures and designs that had a different feel. I became somewhat obsessed with this way of creating, and my parents provided for me the appropriate software and encouraged my interests.

At some point in that stage of my life (I was around 12), I decided that I wanted to do something with my life that involved creating with a pencil, my mind, and the computer as a tool. Although the computer plays a large part in my designs, it is with the paper and pencil that I discover new possibilities, and it is also my preferred method of design.

I finished middle school in 2000 in Slovenj Gradec as a straight-A student. I was also awarded Best Athlete of the Year that year, along with three other friends, for athletic achievements in the children's Olympics in Canada, where we won second place in a relay. I was also awarded Best Athlete of the Year from my grammar school in 2000. In 1999 I was third in a graphic design competition held at my school. In the year 2000 I enrolled in the Slovenj Gradec high school which I finished in 2004 with an overall score of 18- the equivalent of a U.S. grade of "B."

When I was in high school I started wondering what I would do in my life that involves designing. Because Slovenia is a small country that is still developing the world's more obscure fields, the possibility of a career in design is slim.

After high school graduation I tried to enroll in architecture school, but failed. Then I tried to enroll in the school for industrial design, but I was also rejected. Neither was exactly what I wanted, but it was as close to what I wanted to do as I could get and still make a living.

Everything I tried I failed, but I didn't give up. In the end I was accepted into University of Ljubljana, with a major in Wood Science & Technology. This means that I am training to design and manufacture wooden products.

Despite the rejections from design schools in Slovenia, I continue to sketch and design in my spare time and I always carry a sketchbook wherever I go. One day during school one of my sophomore classmates asked me to draw a car for him; after that I discovered exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I accepted the "challenge" and began to struggle drawing the sketch of a car, which didn't come out as I had imagined it- but that was to be expected. I became so consumed and intrigued with sketching/creating a car with my own hands that I haven't stopped since. I started to educate myself on how to express a form with a pencil on paper. I believe I have visited almost every web site on or even remotely regarding this topic, and I bettered myself in drawing 3D objects, shading, rendering by hand and with a computer. I have looked over 1500 sketches and renderings of cars and after three years of sketching and rendering my wish of becoming a car designer is even stronger than it was at the beginning.

During my last semester of study in the College of Wood Science at the University of Ljubljana I realized that I wanted to pursue the biggest passion of my life - auto design. I began to look for colleges that offer that kind of education. There are a few well-known and respected universities in Europe that offer such education, but the best program for car design ended up finding me.

I think it was in January of 2008 when I first received an email from Director of the program Transportation Design (part of Lawrence Technological University) in Detroit. He asked me the most unexpected question I've ever received in my life: Would I like to come to the U.S. to study car design? What followed was months of chasing after official documents, money and information required to start this adventure. During this period I realized more than ever just how many people were there to support me and help me in every way. A huge thank-you to all!!

On the Summer Camp in July I won the first prize for the assigned project and received a scholarship that almost completely covered my tuition. That was a clear sign as to what my next step is going to be - although that was the biggest and hardest decisions I've ever made in my life.

At the moment I'm really happy with what I do. I very much enjoy working on my new project of designing an eco-friendly, solar powered car for the desert. School is hard work, but it is worth every effort.

At the same time, if I had known in advance that the one person I cherished most in my life would be out of my life, I would never come here. Beyond all, I am very grateful to her that she believed in me, encouraged me and helped me get this far.

I see so many people out there, working all of their lives at jobs that leave them sad and unhappy, even miserable. That is why I made the decision to completely change my life and study at one of the best schools for car design to fulfill my dream.