Reshaping iconic designs will never be easy. Human beings are reluctant to change and that means a lot of energy will always be needed to put ourselves in motion. Be that physically or mentally, changing the status quo will always require extra work. BMW knows it and the backlash the company got when they unveiled the new, ‘extra-large’ kidney grilles we’re seeing on certain cars today has been overwhelming.
Nevertheless, a company that doesn’t innovate, that doesn’t risk anything, will be more likely to fail. That’s why BMW decided to try something new. Domagoj Dukec, as the head of BMW Design, has been the center focus of all the critics so far and, in an interesting turn of events, he decided to address some of them directly. Therefore, when a teenage critic wrote to the BMW CEO, Oliver Zipse, complaining about the design of the new cars, prompt action was taken.
Below is a 19-minute video in which BMW’s Head of Design actually explains why the kidney grilles ended up looking like they do today. It’s quite an amazing effort, to showcase the history of the brand and its designs via a live stream, to the room of one of the company’s fans. It’s also quite interesting how the dialogue takes place, Dukec calmly explaining the reasoning behind this very important decision.
One key detail has to be mentioned, something some people are aware of but other don’t realize just yet. The design of a car is not penned by the man in charge of the entire division. As Dukec explains, he stopped drawing quite a long time ago. What we see on the road today is the collective effort of some 120 people under his supervision.
Sure, he takes responsibility for the end result, but he’s not necessarily the one who designed it in the first place. Now, let’s check out this walk through the history of BMW designs.
