Designworks: Mobility beyond. Stimulating ambitious visions of the future.

Munich. With its roots in the industrial design
world, Designworks has over the course of more than forty years
established itself as a world-class independent design consultancy
that drives innovation. It is owned by BMW Group and is part of the
company’s toolbox: an inspiring, thought-provoking studio that splits
its workload between BMW Group and external clients. Here, its
president Holger Hampf reflects on the studio’s ongoing influence – as
well as its role in the future of the ever-changing industry of
transportation and mobility.

 

1. What would you say are the key values of Designworks today,
forty years after the studio launched?

Holger Hampf: The most important thing is that we
stayed committed to the original plan of Designworks operating as a
profit centre with a split business model to the BMW Group. Working
with external clients brings outside knowledge to the group, opens our
horizon and means we do not only orientate towards automotive design. 

I think it is more important than ever to understand global trends
and global changes at a greater scale while also being very familiar
with the transformations happening in the automotive industry. That is
something our external clients and partners value as well.

 

2. How important is this cross-section of different industries
you work with?

Holger Hampf: It’s very important. We are seeing
people leading an increasingly digital life, and connectivity is key.
What matters to people is having a seamless experience between their
professional and their personal life. The automotive industry is still
very relevant but it is becoming more of a mobility provider. In order
to do so, we have to understand the spaces and places outside of the
car too.

Designworks has delivered some very successful work to many different
industries in the past – healthcare, sports and consumer electronics –
but we are currently in the process of focusing more on
mobility-relevant topics. This is really a sweet spot of Designworks
and being part of BMW Group is greatly validating our work and point
of view. In the future we will be doing a lot more in this area.

 

3. So what are the next trends? What is the future of mobility
and what is Designworks’ role in it?

Holger Hampf: The world is moving from an
object-centric view to a user-centric view. In the future, the car
will connect with a much larger ecosystem of mobility and
transportation and still plays a central role in it. But this
ecosystem is growing and becoming more complex all the time: People
expect to seamlessly use the car to get from a suburban area to the
city and then take a train or a bike for the last mile. We want to
help make these connections.

 

4. Designworks has studios in California, Munich and Shanghai.
How important is this world-view?

Holger Hampf: Very. We opened our Los Angeles studio
in 1972, our Munich office in 2000 and set up our third space in
Shanghai in 2006. These three locations of Designworks are all
strategic picks.

California has such a strong car and innovation culture. It has
always been a very important place to gain insights on customer
desires and needs. China is becoming a very strong market for BMW, one
which is essential to understand from the inside as well.

The headquarters in Los Angeles and our studio in Shanghai both play
a vital role informing the BMW Group about trends in these markets.
The Munich studio at the same time is tapping into European design
culture and serves as a strategic bridge to BMW in our global network.
All three studios together give us a very broad perspective.

 

5. What is your mission as president of Designworks?

Holger Hampf: Quite simply, to be provocative in a
positive way. My goal at Designworks is to address the effects of
climate change, a growing population and urban density, and to offer a
positive outlook and new solutions.

Design is a forward-thinking and visionary discipline. At
Designworks, we have to react to some of the challenges out there and
face them with positive energy. We are operating with a
solution-oriented attitude.