Chris Bangle

BMWBlog has a segment from an Inframe.tv documentary on former Head of Design at BMW Group Chris Bangle (via PSFK).
Man, does he get it:

I came from studios in General Motors and in Fiat, where they believed in high segregation. Their idea was if you want to treat things equally you keep them separate. If you want to make design unique and fresh you isolate it. I got the job at BMW when I was 35. So I said, let’s get rid of the walls. No doors between Rolls Royce and BMW, no doors between BMW and MINI, no doors between motorcycles and cars.

And I love this quote:

The markets guys, these guys you have to keep a little bit at bay, because their first reaction is no. No, no, no, no. You can’t create life under an atmosphere of no.

Have a watch, there’s a lot of great ideas to absorb from this guy.
Design might seem like this lofty, hippie idea, but when you see guys like this making it happen at one of the most prestigious car makers in the world, you know it’s possible.
*be sure to watch the 4 outtakes on Bangle too

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