CYRILLE ANCELY

3D modeler | Industrial designer

Cyrille Ancely

Talk about diversity, Cyrille Ancely is an industrial designer who can design soles for basketball shoes one day and frames for glasses another day. These days, he’s in charge of the 3D modeling for a concept car: the Portrait of db.

“This has been an exciting and challenging project, capturing the essence of a person in a car’s design.”

Cyrille has a master’s degree in Transportation Design. He earned it at Creapole ESDI in Paris. But he wanted more and so he went to Barcelona to learn 3D modeling. With this knowledge, he went to work on the Citroën C3 Picasso and the RCD Concept Car among others, using his 3D modeling skills. This was for RCD Except in Paris.

His next career move was as a freelancer for Groupe PSA as an Industrial Stylist and 3D Modeler. Here he made his mark on Peugeot models 5008, 508, and 301. During this time, he also contributed as a freelancer to the designs of Renault, Fiat, Lexus, Alpine, Alstom, Beneteau, Zodiac Aerospace. Next, he would go into product design.

“When I start a project, my goal is to create a beautiful design, of course, and also offer the highest quality without sacrificing optimal functionality.”

In 2016, Ancely met Takumi Yamamoto and learned about The DB Project. Yamamoto, famous for his design of the GT by Citroen, wanted Ancely for his pet project, a tribute concept car for his mentor, David Bowie.

Ancely was intrigued by the car designer’s imaginative idea and moved by the sentiment behind the project.

“I have never worked on a product like this. It’s not even a product. It’s an automotive sculpture.”

Ancely dedicated the next three years to bringing Yamamoto’s dream to life, helping to develop the design and to turn the concept into a 3D model.

In 2018, Dassault Systemes invited Cyrille and the team to enter Dassault Systemes’ Hackathon during Milano Design Week. The subject was urban mobility in 2050, and the team won.

Ancely continues to work as a freelancer and also on the Inesis Design team, as he watches his 3D model of the Portrait of db take form, piece by 3D-printed piece, working on it until it is revealed at the Festival Automobile International in Paris.