BMW car design process
BMW designers regard their job as a very creative process. They believe in the significance that beauty and style have for modern people, and they attempt to create automobiles that can provide unforgettable moments and inspiration for their customers. They think that their works “are not just the end of the creative process, but the beginning. The beginning of adventures and memories… The beginning of passion, dedication, love. The beginning of an emotional experience”.
Concept generation
The car design process in BMW begins with a pencil, a piece of paper, and a designer’s inspiration. Even though modern technologies are used in the process of BMW design, the designers insist on first expressing the idea in real life, because they believe that the spontaneity of sketching is more suitable for a creative process like this one. In their opinion, it is easier to express feelings and to give a concept its life with the help of a real pencil. One of the most important parameters for designers is high-quality aesthetics.
Screening
Every concept of a BMW car is first expressed in a two-dimensional view. Computer programs are used in the process to make sure that all the dimensions are perfect. This allows the designers to verify and control all the lines the sketch consists of along with the three dimensions created by them. The result of the screening is the descriptions of these lines, the information that will be further used in the process of modeling.
Preliminary design
The preliminary design is carried out in two dimensions with the help of sketches and computer programs. Interior design research processes are performed simultaneously with the creation of the sketch. According to BMW designers, the most important detail of an interior design is the materials chosen. They are supposed to suit the part of the car they are used for and match each other. Apart from that, they must be agreeable to the touch since people are going to interact with these materials. Finally, much consideration is given to the aesthetic value of the materials.
Evaluation and improvement
The material that is used to create a model in three dimensions is clay. BMW designers believe that it is perfect for modeling since the amount of material can be easily changed, the lines can be replaced, revised, perfected. The craftsmanship is crucial for this stage of development, which often includes modifying and improving the original design of the car. Although the designers use computer programs for the process in order to verify that every line is in the right place, they believe that the main way of bringing perfection into the design is through their own hands and the clay.
Prototyping and final design
According to the designers, clay “is exactly the material that can bring perfection to our design”. When every surface is modeled with the help of clay, the perfection the designers strive for is achieved and they are certain that the resulting car design is final, silver foil is applied on top of it in order to check how the car looks when painted. It also allows the designers to see how the surface changes from light to shadow.
BMW designers regard their creations as works of art, and they keep improving their models until they believe that there is nothing left to add or take away.
Reference
Roberta S. Russell and Bernard W. Taylor (2008). Operations Management 4th Ed.