(June 10, 2012) DETROIT — The debut of the new 2013 Buick Enclave luxury crossover in April defined a new course for Buick design language while completing a full circle of design cohesion now evident across the brand’s products.  

“Sculpted, graceful design is part of the Buick brand identity,” said Dave Lyon, executive director for Design. “Each model has details that make it unique, but a Buick can be recognized by its elegant waterfall grille, flowing lines, and complementary interior colors and materials.”



Blue translucent headlight rings, LED lighting inside and out, and soft-touch interior materials continue to stress the brand’s attention to detail. Following the debut of the Encore luxury crossover earlier this year, Automobile magazine wrote that “Buick has pulled a complete 180 in the past five years, revitalizing its lineup with well-crafted models and attracting younger buyers.”

Behind Buick’s new sedans and crossovers are creative minds whose personal hobbies inspire their professions. A trio of photography enthusiasts applies their shared hobby to unique pursuits on Buick’s staff.

John Puskar, Alikhan Kuljanov, and Craig Zinser are three photographers whose backgrounds and work differ greatly, but whose shared passion creates a common bond.

“Everyone has something they aspire to be at an early age,” said John Puskar, director of strategic design. “At one point, in first or second grade, I spilled some ink on one of my art class projects. Rather than throw it out and start over, I used the spill to my advantage and incorporated it into part of a painting that went on to win art shows. That made me realize I wanted to grow up to be an artist making beautiful things. Now, some of those things include Buicks.”

“I’m intrigued by subtlety and nuance in my photography,” Puskar added. “Right now my passion is night photography and trying to find detail in the black and white created by darkness. The play on contrast and values creates such a challenge. I’ve also been photographing my daughters doing gymnastics, and the low light and motion combine to make getting the right shot a real challenge. I love being able to freeze an experience in time for everyone to go back and relive that moment as if they were there. I also love being able to turn an image into a piece of art.”

Puskar sees a common thread between the challenges of photography and those of designing new vehicles. “Technology has opened up new opportunities to manipulate images and create something truly unique. Our Buick customers also require a certain form and structure that must be achieved. Size, shape, that all matters. Harmony is a part of a Buick owner’s life, and for me, finding it has become an obsession.”

Kuljanov, a lead creative designer for Buick, developed his creativity as a child surrounded by challenging conditions in the former Soviet Union. “My mother encouraged me to become an artist and to define the beauty in our world.”

“My interest in landscapes comes from the warmth of sunsets and sunrises, or the colors of an expansive vineyard in October,” Kuljanov said of photography. “But at the same time, I love the character of black and white portraits. Removing color brings out a subject’s true character and simplifies the surroundings. As a designer, I love simplifying my environment.”

When he first looks at a car design, Kuljanov imagines he’s looking through a lens. “Luxury is defined by the details, especially today in a simpler, cost-efficient industry. I think of photography when I encounter those details. When I look at a line of stitching, everything other than that stitch is out of focus in my mind.”

“When designing a vehicle, my goal is to bring those details into focus for our customers. Buick represents warmth and simplicity overlaid with fine luxury detail. Wood, leather, suede – these are all simple-looking materials with complex design forms that must be set within the vehicle’s defined structure. Items I photograph, like a glass of cognac or a colorful autumn setting, for example, affect the warm colors we’ve brought to the Buick brand.”

Zinser’s passion for photography contributes to his work at Buick in a different way as an engineering group manager for infotainment systems. “Photography allows an engineer like me to have a creative side,” he noted. “That’s something engineers aren’t really known for, but I think it helps me look at things from different perspectives, allowing me to find unique solutions to problems I face.”

Zinser’s photography evolved out of another love: travel. Basic photos from his vacations around the world evolved into a greater passion for photography and a drive to capture the most important details and feelings of a location.

“When we travel we love to visit historic locations.  I am always amazed by the architecture and landscapes.  But it is difficult to capture the true beauty in a picture, so I take a lot of photos from different angles. Details, lighting and perspective are all important to me. I’m always looking for that one shot which captures a location and has that ‘wow’ factor.

“Photography is a brotherhood, we see each other and wave,” said Puskar. “We recognize people using good cameras. We can be anywhere in the world and know one another as photography enthusiasts and have that connection.”