rampdesign - EN Magazine

23 June 2018

Simple. Beautiful. The world is changing. Becoming faster and more dynamic than ever before. And with it, the world of the automobile and mobility. Within the context of mutually accelerating technologies, the automobile has the opportunity to reinvent itself as dynamically as the entire automotive industry. Because the mobility of the future will be defined by an entirely different set of expectations, parameters and options than today. At any rate, things will get more complex. That much is for certain. And now? This is where design and designers come in. It is through their concrete design that visions, ideas and things show us what they are or would like to be, what we can or could do with them. What lay hidden inside is revealed. Design gives a sense of direction and captures our imagination. It tells a story. But above all, design asks us to enter into a relationship with it. We associate stories and emotions. We feel energised, familiar, at home. Design objects, unlike art, reveal themselves in what they are, in their practical use. A harmonious quartet of aesthetics and simplicity, innovation and usability becomes the formula for success for modern design-first enterprises. The designer’s task is to combine it all in an attractive solution. “Good design” becomes a philosophy, guided by the principle of creating intuitive, positive, unexpected, lasting and pleasant user experiences with the product and the brand. Good design, coupled with a consistent, end-to-end culture of design-first, makes the difference – and becomes a competitive advantage. Sounds beautifully simple. And is simple and beautiful. Just the way we got the idea for this magazine. We’ve an­chored the whole theme to the world of Volkswagen Group, whose 12 brands wind their way through the articles in this issue like a common thread on their way into the future. The full range of vehicles covers nearly every possibility for the mobility of the future – from hedonistic 1,500 hp hyper sports cars to high-tech trucks to fully autonomous electric vehicles for tackling the challenges of urban traffic. Not at all a bad line of argument. We wish you lots of reading enjoyment! Sincerely, Your Michael Köckritz