30th July 2002, 11:49
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Chris Bangle interview - Fortune.com
Dont know if this has been posted before, but I found it interesting...
For the past eight years, Chris Bangle has been in charge of design at BMW, a German car manufacturer where passion for design is matched only by the drive to remain profitable.
A mediator between "corporate pragmatism and artistic passion," Bangle has helped create a climate where designers feel confident to experiment and empowered to establish parameters for a new BMW look. During this time, BMW has taken the plunge and expanded its repertoire beyond sports limousines and moved into off-road vehicles, scooters, and the award-winning Z8 and X5 models.
It was Bangle, for example, who proposed that BMW combine its car and motorcycle design departments into one entity. By encouraging a "creativity exchange" between the two groups, BMW has effectively managed to develop unique vehicles and secure an edge over competitors, Bangle says. "The cars have a new passion because the motorcycle designers have put it there. There's a thrill in riding a motorcycle and, if you look at the Z8, it has a one-to-one driver to machine relationship." Motorcycle design has also benefited from the interaction. "The motorcycles clearly have a different look. Even small parts have developed an aesthetic of their own - building on the rapid prototyping approach that used to be reserved for cars."
Overseeing 220 artists at BMW means Bangle must protect the creative team, safeguard the artistic process, and mediate at the "intersection of art and commerce." To accomplish this, Bangle does "coddle" his designers to some extent, but he also sets deadlines and the rules of the game he expects them follow.
His approach works because it is built on clear communication at every step of the way. The process has three phases: understanding, believing and seeing. "My job is to get people in design, but also in engineering and finance, to understand what we're doing, believe in the process, and see it, which means looking to the end result with interest," Bangle explains. "You hear companies talk about cutting time-to-market, but you never hear about a company trying to cut time-to-believing. And they should - because without belief, without commitment to what you're doing, you won't get progress."
Source: Fortune.com
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