Archer Aviation's Midnight aircraft has been recognised by the Muse Design Awards as its Transportation Design of the Year.

Archer's team of design professionals is led by Julien Montousse, former head of design at Mazda North America; Niki Smart, who reshaped the Cadillac vehicle design at General Motors; and Greg Warmsley, former executive creative director at Mazda.

"Midnight is poised to unlock freedom of movement within and around cities on an entirely new level. Our design team focused on creating a travel experience that will enrich people's lives through an inspiring future Archer world," says team leader Julien Montousse. "After spending most of my life designing cars, I saw from a distance that technology breakthroughs were happening in aerospace and that they would unlock new aircraft architectures. When developing a product in a completely new space like eVTOL aircraft, it's important to instil confidence and earn the trust of consumers."

Unlike the automotive industry, the skin of an eVTOL aircraft cannot be designed alone; the entire aircraft must be designed collectively with engineering and industrial design teams working hand in hand to achieve a final product that is visually stunning while meeting the strict aerodynamics and weight demands required for the aircraft to perform at the level required.

"When setting out to design the Midnight, we focused on creating a powerful aircraft design that forged an emotional connection between passenger and aircraft," Montousse continues. "The Midnight combines high function with high emotion, delivering a travel experience unlike any other. From the moment you lay eyes on the aircraft to the experience of gazing down at the community you live in, the Midnight's design delivers an unparalleled sense of connection to the world around you, creating a sense of inspiration like nothing else."

The MUSE Design Awards is an international design competition dedicated to recognising excellent and original design work from around the world.