The Magazine of the German Design Council
Julia de Bono: Wie gestaltet Design Leadership die automobile Zukunft? Julia de Bono | Foto: privat
Julia de Bono (BMW DesignWorks)

How Is Design Leadership Shaping the Automotive Future?

The state of the automotive industry, the use of AI and circular design - the new podcast episode with Julia de Bono sheds light on the work and philosophy of DesignWorks, BMW's creative unit. The Managing Director also talks openly with Moritz Marder about her management style, the challenges of intercultural communication and reveals what she sees as the key to innovation.

Chapter

(00:04:00)  Changing design disciplines and competences 

(00:06:40) Automotive industry and freedom 

(00:12:16)  Artificial intelligence 

(00:16:00)  Leadership & intercultural competence 

(00:26:30) Concept cars & circularity

(00:34:54) Social sustainability and engagement 

>> The podcast is held in German. 

Key Learnings

AI as an employee

Julia de Bono sees AI not as a mere tool, but as a new member of the team. The central approach is to instil a code of values and a mindset in AI - similar to that of human employees. Instead of seeing it merely as an input-output machine, the aim is to systematically instil corporate culture, inclusivity and ethical principles in AI.  

Dissolution of the classic design disciplines

In the past, DesignWorks was classically divided into the areas of industrial design, automotive design and UI/UX. This approach is increasingly dissolving as employees bring in a wide range of talents that can be utilised across disciplinary boundaries. Instead, DesignWorks is focussing on interdisciplinary collaboration and the use of new technologies to remain agile and innovative.  

Design philosophy: from material to form 

With concept cars such as the Mille Miglia Coupé, the focus was not on classic styling, but on a holistic design approach. Based on material experiments with origami, wood and carbon, a design language was developed that focusses on functionality and sustainability. For Julia de Bono, it is not primarily about styling, but about exploring the properties of materials and using intelligent construction as a basis.  

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