“We don’t just make cars, we create feelings.” These are words used by members of the BMW design team led by Karim Habib to describe how the work they do transcends simply designing mere means of transport. This inspired philosophy produces the strikingly elegant and precisely athletic shapes that excite such dedication among BMW enthusiasts all over the world.
However creating a new BMW is not just art, it’s also the product of an intense and highly technical design process in five key stages.
Stage 1. The Sketch Phase. Here the stylist translates his vision on paper using only a pencil, focusing on high-quality aesthetics, that are rich in emotion and spontaneity.
Stage 2. Tape Drawing. Line drawings of interior and exterior design are projected onto a white screen and then the designers follow the drawn lines with black tape, enabling them to perfect the proportions at life size. The Tape Drawings are then used by the modelers in the next phase.
Stage 3. 3D Modeling. The line drawings are entered into a computer, and rendered as 3D images. This allows the design team to make quick alterations to the interior and exterior, and to try new ideas. However the true precision and innate BMW-ness of the design can only been verified at the next phase of the process.
Stage 4. Clay Modeling. This is the heart of the styling process. The exterior and interior of every new BMW is realised at full scale in clay allowing the extraordinary surfacing and detail that are the hallmarks of every new BMW to be perfected. Once every line and curve is exactly where it should be in the eyes of the clay craftsmen, the model is then covered in aluminium foil to show how light plays upon its surfaces. Only when everyone in the design team is completely happy with the result is the clay model digitized to enable the car to enter production.
Stage 5. Colour and Material Design. This part begins in tandem with the Sketch Phase, because the final character of the vehicle is heavily influenced by the choices that are made by this team. The generous time given to this part of the process ensures that all the senses are rewarded by every BMW.
Fittingly the last word belongs to the BMW stylists with whom this fascinating process began. “We strive to create something timeless, something unmistakably BMW. But we are never satisfied, and that drives us to pursue perfection.”
To find out more about the incredible passion of BMW designers and stylists visit BMW Design.
