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SINGAPORE: BMW's top design man says education is the key for Singapore to become a top design city.
Christopher Bangle is in town as a member of the DesignSingapore International Advisory Panel.
To him, it is not just about fast cars and beautiful lines. A good design also has to be one that solves a consumer's problems.
It also has to address the lives and desires of consumers.
Chris Bangle is best known for being the driving force behind the design of beautiful cars. But his design philosophy goes far beyond just car design.
He says: "We're experimenting and we have managed to bring into production the results of concave, convex relationships – things which in the past were not really known but they find their way into other products.
"My telephone – nice little nokia – it has a really wonderful feel about it, but when you actually look at the shapes, the surfaces, they're similar to what we put in the hood of the 6 series.
"Then there's the relationship that customers have with their cars, not just a functional relationship, but an emotional relationship, and I think we're seeing a whole world out there that wants that in all parts of their lives."
Moving into Asia with BMW's DesignWorks studio, the designer hopes to bring a humanistic, Asian aspect into BMW's designs.
He hopes the studio will not just observe local culture but actively participate in bidding for local design contracts.
"Singapore has the environment for this type of competitive design work. They have the drive for design; they can produce students that we're going to need for that and at the same time, they're very close to the other areas," says Mr Bangle.
The renowned designer is very optimistic about the design scene here which he says has a strong social awareness that is inspiring.
But for Singapore to be a design icon, he wants to see design awareness starting from the young: "The real secret is people having awareness and appreciation because they feel they are participants. And to be a participant in something, you have to have some skills."
"I don't think designers are elites. I don't think we're some strange phenomenon that has any particular privilege in the world to dictate how it should be – I don't hold that type of ego view," Mr Bangle insists.
"I think we're a set of professionals who mediate between people who need things and people who make things." - CNA/so
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