hoW IT ALL STARTED

Trucks and a passion for the arts have always been in his blood. From the age of 5, he would look out of the car window and watch the trucks in action. He was especially drawn to the distinct and powerful appearance of Scania trucks and has been a die-hard fan of the Swedish brand ever since. Luq also discovered his passion for the arts early on. By the age of 5, Luq had already drawn his first truck – an R Series Scania – kickstarting a lifelong obsession.

An old drawing of a Scania truck drawn by designer Luq Turner at the age of 5.

GRINDING GEARS

At 13, Luq migrated to New Zealand. After finishing school, Luq moved to Christchurch with a dream to open a workshop and enter the world of truck customisation. He set sights on an apprenticeship in Heavy Automotive Engineering hoping it would kickstart his dream. But what was meant to be a three-year programme turned out to be three years of rejections from local workshops, and a load of frustration from polytechnics that offered no suitable options.

Photo of a large Scania truck at an outdoor truck show event in New Zealand.

LUQ TURNER DESIGNS IS BORN

Refusing to give up on his vision, Luq turned to what he loves most — illustrating trucks and transforming ideas into powerful visuals. With no local opportunities to help kickstart his dream, Luq decided to start Luq Turner Designs in 2025, although this vision began when he was just 5 years old. Specialising in illustration, graphics, and ideation, Luq helps private clients bring one-off designs to life. His detailed visual aids let his clients clearly visualise their concept before a single bolt is turned.

Three drawings of Scania trucks by designer Luq Turner.
A drawing of a truck wheel with a purple rim, featuring a reflection of a landscape scene of a dirt road under a blue sky with clouds in the chrome hubcap.

A BIGGER VISION

From an early age, Luq wasn’t just drawing trucks - he was reimagining them. At the age of five, he was already tinkering with the appearance of trucks and chasing realism. That early obsession became a lifelong pursuit of precision and creativity, developing his own techniques to turn simple ideas into strikingly lifelike illustrations. Influenced by bold European custom truck styling, Luq now pushes custom truck design further — where every build begins as a vivid, visionary concept brought to life on paper before a single bolt is turned!

Designer Luq Turner working on a detailed truck design.