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IM Conference news
Interior Motives Design Conference 2006 – The Report
By design . . .
On June 7 and 8, the Museum in Docklands, London hosted
the 2006 Interior Motives Design Conference – an annual think
tank in which influential members of the design community
discuss the key issues facing the automotive industry.
Chaired by Head of Transportation Design at Northumbria
University, Matteo Conti, along with Dave Muyres and Geoff
Wardle from California’s Art Centre College of Design, this
year’s Conference attracted an unprecedented audience of
over 100 representatives from the world of design,
management and component supply.
Executive Design Director of Ford of Europe, Martin Smith,
delivered a fascinating insight into the company’s new Kinetic
Design philosophy, and raised the idea that “design is only as
good as what the management asks for.”
Chief Interior Designer for Jaguar and Land Rover, Adriana
Monk, shared her experiences of redefining the Group’s British
luxury brands.
Robin Page, Head of Interior Design at Bentley also shed light
on VW’s approach to embracing future design solutions while
maintaining brand heritage. “Customers are looking for
flexibility,” he said. “They want to be able to treat the interior like
a living room.” Providing a uniquely non-automotive perspective
was Joe Ferry – the man responsible for establishing Virgin
Atlantic Airways as a benchmark in aircraft interior design and
brand differentiation.
Other themes that emerged during the conference included the
impact that the emerging Chinese and Indian markets will have
on how cars are designed – David Wilkie of Stile Bertone
shared his first-hand experiences – and the part that
component suppliers can play in making cars more adaptable in
the coming years. The Royal College of Art’s Dale Harrow also
highlighted the need for a greater degree of communication and
a broader spectrum of awareness of tomorrow’s car designers.
“Most of the students coming through now have a great deal of
concern about the environment, about the impact of the car,” he
said. “They want to do something different, to change it from
within.”
The full conference report appears in the July / August edition
of Interior Motives, published 25 June and will be also available
online.
Read full conference report, also available in next edition of Interior Motives magazine.
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2006 Testimonials
“Extremely interesting
conference, with
outstanding speeches.”
Alan Moore, Senior
Product Manager,
Visteon
“Very informative, very
inspirational - good
overview of where design
is and will be.”
Philippe Aumont,
Product Planning Vice
President, Faurecia
“Worth attending for the
inspiration & insight to
design.”
Simon Butterworth,
Chief Designer, Land
Rover/Jaguar Design
“Seamlessly organised,
interesting and friendly
atmosphere.”
Sheila Clark, Materials
Specialist, Vehicle
Design Research, Royal
College of Art
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