EuroStyle provided the opportunity to consider design language and lineage, to examine new materials, their R&D and application in the light of eco-awareness. Most importantly, leading minds revealed current design philosophies from motor vehicles to furniture and lighting; and any relevant links therein.

First comment comes from Netherlands-born Adrian van Hooydonk. Now Senior Vice President BMW Group Design, he gained his degree at an iconic automotive design school; the Art Centre College of Design in Vevey, Switzerland. He then went on to BMW and spent time as president at Designworks USA in California, before returning to Munich.

He says: ‘Individual mobility is under stress and there are various key considerations before our designers put pencil to paper. An example is the current 7 Series, actually designed some time ago. We felt that this luxury saloon needed a presence that would not be contrived, i.e. to be seen without being loud. It’s a car that people notice, even from the corner of their eye in traffic. A timeless presence, allowing us to know it’s there without it being overly aggressive, nor loaded with chrome.

‘We hold workshops with our marketing colleagues in order to synchronise our minds. The various presentations of our design team are submitted, as in a competition. At the end of this process of collaboration and re-examination, we decide which designs move forward. So, I feel everyone involved in this process should download what’s in their mind from the start of the project rather than at the end; because fulfilling relevant expectations requires early discovery.’

November/December 2011 Issue

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