ers and engineers in the real world, Pforzheim
teaches students from both disciplines to work
together early on. “I also appreciated a lot that
courses for drawing, painting and sculpting were
part of the program,” Köhl says. “It is essential that
a designer knows multiple arts, especially when
you work for a luxury brand like Mercedes-Benz.”
Köhl underscores that industrial design train-
ing provided an important foundation for his
future work. “This combination was unique and
gave us a complete picture of design and how to
grow in it.”Other notable alumni: Mitja Borkert Lamborghini, head of design
Michael Mauer Porsche, head of style Marc Lichte Audi, head of
design Belinda Günther Mercedes-Benz, head of color and trim
Domagoj Dukec BMW, head of designA concept
by student
Kun-Yang ChenRoyal College of Art
London
RCA is celebrated for its master-of-arts degree
in Intelligent Mobility, a program recently
redesigned and renamed to tackle the increas-
ingly changing role of automobiles and, well,
mobility. An alum since 2003, Robert Melville is
now the design director for McLaren and says the
program taught him to embrace different types of
people—and their criticisms. “It really opened my
mind,” he says. “The lesson was not to see others’
opinions as a threat but a challenge.” Melville says
the most important thing he learned during his
studies was how to conceptualize and articulate
the story of a design, which he describes as the
“key to a product’s success.”
In addition to the curriculum, the school has
also established the Intelligent Mobility Design
Centre, a multi-disciplinary research lab that
focuses not only on designing vehicles but also
on solving related societal problems. “Issues like
autonomy are changing the industry radically,
and no longer can we just look at the style of
cars,” says Dale Harrow, director of the center.
“We are moving from product-centered to service
models, and this will change the types of issues
facing transport design. We need to maintain the
traditional design skills but enhance them.”ROBBREPORT.COM 151
Learning Curvesers and engineers in the real world, Pforzheim
teaches students from both disciplines to work
together early on. “I also appreciated a lot that
courses for drawing, painting and sculpting were
part of the program,” Köhl says. “It is essential that
a designer knows multiple arts, especially when
you work for a luxury brand like Mercedes-Benz.”
Köhl underscores that industrial design train-
ing provided an important foundation for his
future work. “This combination was unique and
gave us a complete picture of design and how to
grow in it.”
Other notable alumni: Mitja Borkert Lamborghini, head of design
Michael Mauer Porsche, head of style Marc Lichte Audi, head of
design Belinda Günther Mercedes-Benz, head of color and trim
Domagoj Dukec BMW, head of design
Aconcept
bystudent
Kun-YangChenRoyal College of Art
London
RCA is celebrated for its master-of-arts degree
in Intelligent Mobility, a program recently
redesigned and renamed to tackle the increas-
ingly changing role of automobiles and, well,
mobility. An alum since 2003, Robert Melville is
now the design director for McLaren and says the
program taught him to embrace different types of
people—and their criticisms. “It really opened my
mind,” he says. “The lesson was not to see others’
opinions as a threat but a challenge.” Melville says
the most important thing he learned during his
studies was how to conceptualize and articulate
the story of a design, which he describes as the
“key to a product’s success.”
In addition to the curriculum, the school has
also established the Intelligent Mobility Design
Centre, a multi-disciplinary research lab that
focuses not only on designing vehicles but also
on solving related societal problems. “Issues like
autonomy are changing the industry radically,
and no longer can we just look at the style of
cars,” says Dale Harrow, director of the center.
“We are moving from product-centered to service
models, and this will change the types of issues
facing transport design. We need to maintain the
traditional design skills but enhance them.”ROBBREPORT.COM 151
Learning Curves