Stephen Bayley (CAR ukay) versus Adrian van Hooydonk on human response to designer machines.

(This interview portion has been extracted from CAR magazine (UK - May 2009 issue): Bayley vs BMW design, pg 108 - go get your own copy for a full cut of the meat)

SB: Is car design an art?
AvH: Yes. But it's not a free art. There are practical limitations and the range of expression is limited. I should add that there is no such thing as car design: it's a mixture of product design and graphic design.
(Sparks: Hmm... True to the Bauhaus thinking. Design that need not be there, shouldn't be there)

SB: The old 7-series was ugly. Why?
AvH: It's very hard to control everybody's perception. We always want to do cars that create an emotional response. If you want to avoid all negative criticism, do something wrong.
(Sparks: That's a very safe response. Having said that, the 2001 7-series does look like an executive sedan and the problem is just that. It's not supposed to be an executive sedan. It's a BMW top-notched executive sedan. Where was the BMW excitement?)

SB: Is there such a thing as beauty?
AvH: I do believe in beauty. And proportion is terribly important to the realisation of it.
(Sparks: That's what they say. I've heard somewhere that the key to beauty is symmetry. Apparently, Audrey Hepburn had a perfectly symmetrical face... which explains...)

SB: So do you use The Golden Section? (The classical formula for perfect proportion where a line is divided in such a way that the ratio of the larger part to the whole is the same as the ratio of the smaller to the larger. Or, to put it simply, about 8:13)
AvH: We've looked at it, but we don't have a rule book. I believe it would limit creativity.
(Sparks: Agreed. Creativity means reading all the books and throwing them out)

SB: Are you worried by criticism?
AvH: Nietzsche said 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'. And you learn more from criticism than praise. At BMW we believe you must never relax on your success.
(Sparks: I'm glad you don't. Cause if you did, that will be the end of all design hope in this world. The X6 sedan x SUV x coupe, the new work-in-progress Progressive Activity Sedan, the 5-series Gran Turismo concept, etc sure set tongues wagging and industrial opinions soaring and plummeting, dividing design believers to 'us' and 'them'. But nonetheless, it keeps the argument going. That's what it's all about right? To keep the tension there. That's how art and design have been sustained through the centuries anyway!)

SB: But consumer reaction to the last 7-series was calamitous.
AvH: But you must NOT give people what they want!
(Sparks: Totally agree. Most of the time, people do not know what they want. And they do not know that what they want is actually bad for them. Give them what they need)

SB: What defines BMW aesthetics?
AvH: We have never done organic. All BMWs are still defined by sharp lines. We add details that customers 'see' only after two years. For example, on the C-pillar of the new 7-series I insisted on a small 2mm crease that did not need to be there. It highlights the side graphics. [We had a look for said crease. Erm...]
(Sparks: Uh... okay, I take back that comment I made on Bauhaus. Surely, there must be some functional benefit on that 2mm crease that's beyond simple aesthetic advantage?)

SB: Germans always used to believe in Gute Form (the idea that there is an inevitable, perfect, rational design solution). Does it still exist?
AvH: I wonder if German design still exists or has it morphed into Euro design. If you look at BMW's history, you can see that car design was always outside industrial design. To be honest, cars never were completely rational. These are machines that move under their own power, that have a life of their own. BMW design is always emotional. It's not a science project.
(Sparks: Emotional! Yes, people are first driven by emotions then practicality. Get it into your head, Proton!!)

SB: Is there a future for the big car?
AvH: There is a future for cars with a lot of room inside. And that's easier to achieve in a big car, obviously. In future we will offer more space in a smaller footprint. And there will be another change. Traditionally, big car meant big motor. In future we will see small, highly developed engines in big cars.
(Sparks: We'll see...)

SB: How will BMW design evolve?
AvH: The language will change with the times. We are all responsive to the zeitgeist. Design must always be an authentic expression of what you feel. It is a promise of pleasure to come. Anybody can make a car look fast, but if it is not fast, that's a big disappointment. Authenticity is the key. BMW is like a family: the cars have similarities, but significant differences.
(Sparks: Amen)