Transcendent. It’s an adjective one could use to singularly describe Jae S. Min, Chief Designer at Volkswagen Group of America, Design Center California (DCC). The complex is one of three Volkswagen Group design centers worldwide, and the only one outside of Germany.
Right now he’s behind the wheel of a loaded Ibis White Q7 TDI driving down Ocean Parkway in Santa Monica, the main drag outside of DCC. Jae rarely grants interviews. He’s humble and usually prefers to deflect attention to the products. But after we met at a tour of DCC last December, he allowed me to sit in on a couple of the Visual Communication classes he teaches at Art Center College of Design. He warmed up to the idea of an interview, mainly because the thought of conducting it in a Q7 TDI excites him — he’s a strong advocate of clean technology.
Born July 22, 1971 in Seoul, Korea, Jae is the eldest, and only male out of two children. His father is an architect, his mother was trained as a ballerina, and although he says that’s a “match made in either heaven or hell,” it’s also a recipe for someone who excels at designing structures that move gracefully through unlimited space.
Causal but classic, he’s always well-groomed, sporting jeans and a button-down long sleeve shirt, his usual attire, even on weekends.
His students love him calling him “the best teacher,” “intense with critiques,” “efficient with words.” He is poised, lean and tireless, deliberate and thoughtful, both socially and in his design approach. A gentle soul powered by passion, Jae has a wicked sense of humor that’s peppered with cultural references ranging from Shakespeare to David Lynch, The Lion King to Cirque de Soleil.
Barbara Walters might call him fascinating, and she’d be right. But unless Walters was a fan of the four rings, she’d miss seeing that Jae, in many ways, is Audi personified.
You were exclusively with Audi for thirteen years before recently being named Chief Designer of VW Group of America, Design Center California. You have what many people consider the ultimate job. Let’s begin by telling people how you got it.
Freeman Thomas and Craig Durfey saw my work at grad school. Art Center College of Design is unique in that design studios come to the school to look at talent, most schools it’s the opposite. They made a favorable offering that involved going to Ingolstadt, and I turned it down. But eight months later, they contacted me and offered me job at DCC. Without hesitation I took it, and ironically, within a couple weeks, I got shipped to Ingolstadt.
What title did Freeman have when he recruited you?
Come to think of it, he was chief designer at Audi.
So after he moved over to Ford, you quickly worked your way up. In between the two Audi offers you received, what did you do?
I worked on product design for a consultancy firm that no longer exists. They specialized in stereo equipment and professional mixers, medical design. It was fun. The process is so much shorter for consumer electronics, 3-4 months in fast cases, and you see the product on shelf. It’s ten times longer for the car industry.
Can you break down that time for us?
Concept to production from scratch can take up to four years for a new series, that’s when code names change from B7 to B8, for example. For existing product improvement, or facelift as we sometimes call it, standard time is about 1.5 to 2 years. The concept stage usually lasts several months, and after that it’s another couple years to push it though feasibility, testing and pre-production stages, before it goes off to be manufactured.
You design SUVs, did you work on this one?
No. And it’s the first time I’m even driving the TDI outside of Germany. (Clarify if he meant first time driving Q7 TDI or any Q7 … I suspect it’s the former)
I’m surprised. How did you get hooked into the SUV niche?
It was not my choice. Most of the time, whatever you design is not for yourself, but for everyone else. Audi didn’t have a full-fledged SUV, so the first production project I worked on was the first generation Audi Allroad. That was the closest thing to a traditional SUV, and that’s when I went to Ingolstadt to work on the concept phase. I stayed there for six months, and also worked on the A4 B6 program. Here I’ve worked on A6 successors, A4s, and all concepts of the SUV family.
So you worked on the Cross-Cabriolet?
Yes. As a concept car we took liberties to distinguish it from production cars. That 2-door convertible was to announce the basic product of Q5.
Last year Audi was the exclusive automotive sponsor of Art Basel Miami Beach, and you participated in a panel titled “Design in Nature: From Inspiration to Engineering.” Will you share some key points from that event?
Sustainability is not an easy subject to talk about. There are so many aspects related to the buzz word, but not everybody looks at the whole process, they tend to concentrate on the end product. What really makes a big difference for us, is in the manufacturing and conceptual stages as well. When you look at the final stage of eco-friendly, it has a lot do with responsible design and manufacturing. It goes much deeper than CO2 emissions, though that’s important too. What we look at from the conceptual stage is how a product is manufactured -- because that’s an area where you can be super-responsible -- down to the end of a product’s lifecycle. What do you do when its time for product to be recycled, when its product life is over? We also discussed not just the typical usage of cars, but where we can effect efficiency. It’s our responsibility to promote efficient usage of the product. Artificial intelligence is something we can affect as a manufacturer. Automation, using technology to improve efficiency, anywhere from drive train to traffic flow. In fact this Q7 TDI has Audi Side Assist. It also gives a warning if you change lanes and there’s an obstruction. You can extend usage like that. If you can imagine a school of fish, or flock of geese, they move in a fluid motion, but they never run into each other. I think that’s the most sincere form of bio-mimicry. Bio-mimicry is not wearing a leopard print jacket, it’s what you can learn from how nature is behaving. A lot of people don’t think about that, they think about mpg. And that’s just a small part of being sustainable.
Sustainable has different meanings and interpretations?
A lot of times people confuse it with recycling, but that’s down-cycling, it’s not a full circle. There’s a book by William McDonough that discusses this called Cradle to Cradle, not “cradle to grave.” For example, when you have an aluminum can and you break it down and make something out of it again, it’s not a perfect form of recycling if it involves manufacturing. We try to utilize the method of not inventing anything new. It’s efficiency, but even that has mechanical connotations. I like to think of it as an elegant solution. It’s not convoluted or overdone.
After I bought my car I found out that Audi organically tans the leather, uses only water-based paints, and even recaptures the water from the manufacturing process. The company philosophy is naturally environmentally friendly. They’ve never seen it as a big deal that they do these things, so it’s been understated.
That has been the way for many years, even decades, at Audi. A part of it has to do with the culture where being environmentally responsible is such a natural part of life that it’s not considered especially ground breaking – you even separate glass bottles according to their color when you recycle them. The main motive, however, is the conscientious effort to improve efficiency and reduce waste.
What excites you about this vehicle?
Simply aesthetically speaking it’s one of the most dynamic and emotional SUVs.
Emotional is a word I often see used in conjunction with Audi. Is that part of the brand vocabulary?
We try to instill guilt-free positive emotional experiences. Let’s face it, SUVs don’t get a good rap these days. But you don’t need to feel guilty about this, (the Q7 TDI) is much cleaner than other gas-powered vehicles, in terms of efficiency. When you talk about efficiency, you have to realize capacity equals the total package. That’s a lot more efficient than an econo-hatchback with one person.
Why was this the first TDI model Audi selected to have made for the American market?
It makes more sense to have this realized in America. Not just because America is used to large vehicles, or because it’s overindulgent. Here you need these vehicles. If you look at road conditions and lifestyle, and the fact that the culture is based on do-it-yourself, these vehicles need the most efficiency. It’s a natural choice that it’s the first vehicle to be available with this technology. That’s where we can make the most difference.
Let’s have a walk-around so you can point out the design highlights.
The first thing you notice is the main proportion of the vehicle. Q7 is our take on the SUV, but its not overdone. The presentation of many SUVs are tough looking, almost militaristic, but this is elegant in how it represents efficiency in terms of aerodynamics. You can see through the center line of the vehicle how it tapers through the back and it was designed to go with the flow of the wind. The character lines are also very dynamic and directional. Overall, they not only convey the sense of movement and flow even when the vehicle is standing still, but also they add tremendous refinement to the entire form.
We pay a lot of attention to the arrangement of panels as well. We use the term shut lines, or parting lines, and everything has to be sympathetic with each other. It’s not arbitrary, it has to make sense. One of the many feature of the Q7 is the rear tailgate, how the shut line works with the graphic, and wraps around the tail light, it doesn’t cut it. That was done for many reasons. If you have a lot of features inside the rearview, it tends to reduce the sensation of width. This was done to emphasis the actual width of the vehicle. When a car looks wider, it adds a sense of stability. And also when you have the actual opening shut-line of the hatch cut through the tail lights and the rear of the vehicle, it clutters the view. Sometimes less is more, but not always.
You can see simplicity, for we also tend to work with “Form is Function.” The exterior S line, which is standard on the TDI, makes a huge difference in terms of the Q7’s appearance. It’s my personal preference, in general, since it gives a more integrated look. The standard Q7 has contrasting body panels, which, in a traditional sense, fit better with the theme of an SUV. You have protected plastic, wheel arches and lower body cladding. But for me, the exterior s-line completes the picture, it gives a built-from-one-piece look. This grille is sportier, as well.
And it doesn’t look aggressive.
I would use the word confident, and the sides put tension on the bottom of the car. It looks a little more lean than the regular Q7.
Plus the S line features go well with the torque boost.
People have an old notion of diesel in the U.S. market. But it fits American driving style more than anywhere else. The U.S. is all about instant acceleration. These motors go well with driving behavior, stop and go. This myth of diesel being an old type of powerplant is gone, and to me this is the best use of technology. When you concentrate on saving the best features, the negative effects drop away.
Okay, my turn to drive.
I pull into the right lane with a merge left sign. When the light turns green, I rip past a few cars to be first in the left lane.
That’s torque!
That’s why I did that.
I love it.
Me too. Guilt-free positive emotion. Last week I drove an RS6 (C5) for the first time, just on street roads. This Q7 this feels close in terms of power.
There’s only a 7 lb-ft difference in the two vehicles.
I think the contrast between torque and hp in the Q7 gives an illusion of it being more powerful— compared to what straight hp figures would suggest. But what I also like a lot is the interior, it doesn’t feel like a large vehicle. Although this model debuted as a limo fleet for the Oscars, I also see a lot of A8s being chauffeured around LA. That model has a wider console, and in my opinion feels more formal, while this feels intimate.
I think Americans need to reacquaint themselves with the idea of diesel again. It doesn’t even sound like the old ones.
It’s very quiet. Everyone should have an Audi diesel driving experience.
Now can you imagine this engine in an A4?
Definitely, I think it would sell well. Although my preference would be an A5 TDI. After driving alone in a sedan for so many years, I’m ready for a coupe, but I guess we’ll have to wait for that model to go into production.
It’s already being manufactured in Germany. More or less all of the diesel versions of models are being manufactured there.
Bring ‘em over. Staying with the theme of being at one with our environment, for the Design Challenge of the 2007 Los Angeles Audi show, you designed the Virtuea Quattro. Will you explain that?
We used that showcase to demonstrate the conceptual process we go though as designers when we think about sustainability. And the whole thing was also about robotics and artificial intelligence, how can we use them to make things better. Using technology to achieve the most efficient mobility, but not just the vehicle itself. When you talk about mobility, it’s the experience of being in the vehicle as well. This was going back to the school of fish idea. How can we achieve the most efficient way of going from point A to B? Not in a sterile environment, but an enhanced experience. Not by making it artificial, that’s not what Audi is about, but in the physical or visceral experience you can have when you drive a car.
We were thinking of a faraway concept, 2057. This vehicle will be fit with sensors that constantly monitor surroundings and make an efficient path, and also give you a lot more security and safety as well, in terms of accident avoidance. And also enhanced driving experience by projecting an exterior of choice through a hologram. Go through an Audi Experience Catalog and pick out an experience you feel like that day, with enhanced communication technology — to have a choice to communicate with fellow drivers, or not. That came about after considering how to store this vehicle. We were thinking of parking structures, because parking solutions usually are not the most attractive aspect of vehicle usage. So when you park, we were envisioning that it can morph into turn a tree or rock, depending on the surroundings. Of course, the vehicle is so beautiful that, hopefully, you won’t want to turn it into anything else.
That’s getting deep. But August Horch was visionary.
And he had a pioneering spirit. There is a little video loop of him in the Ingolstadt Audi Forum. In it, he talks about how he, as with any young, aspiring engineer, started by working at established firms. Then he decided to start his own car company because of his frustration with their “status quo” mentality and lack of initiatives. After 100 years of Audi, I still feel that “Vorsprung” spirit lives on in things we do.
Let’s go further into the mind of a designer.
What I do every day now has a little less to do with hands-on design. We have a team of 12-14 designers at DCC. Sometimes they’re here from Germany, or the German designers are working there. A product request comes in for a redesign or from-scratch process. More often than not, what we do is to convey a message of a more local influence, not in any specific form or structure, but it’s up to us to provide it. Another thing is product design, and how to convey cultural values, not to show one influence, such as American or West Coast, but to bring Audi into the global picture.
Where does research come in to play?
We use research sparingly. We have no lack of information, the majority of the job is to figure out what to do with it, that’s where information analysis comes in. That’s the frontloading stage. Before we actually design something we gather information —what does that mean exactly for what we do? We read a blurb on a trend website somewhere that these colors, or products are popular, here are some of the interface options, and we consider how does it apply to us?
What’s your typical day like?
Because of the time difference and working with colleagues in headquarters, when I show up here, it’s their afternoon so there’s a short window of working together physically. I usually show up between 6:30 and 7:00 AM, and it’s 4:00 PM in Germany, so I have about two hours simultaneously with those guys, if need be. Then work starts for us. That means reviewing requests, feedback we’ve gotten. Usually there are two or three projects at staggered phases, design reviews, refinement. And having strategic project concepts, the brainstorming stage. On paper we set up very regimented stages, but designers have to ideate on their own. There is an idea stage, but you have to be organized in a way you can fit your creative rhythm to these business schedules. If you become a more successful designer, you’ve mastered that process also.
In addition to working long hours, you teach a 7-hour intensive on Saturdays, so it’s fair to say you live Transportation Design. How do you decompress?
I shut down as if submerging myself under water. We are constantly bombarded with sensory input, and part of the job description, and part of my natural tendency — that’s why I became a designer — is to analyze, and improve, or not. As a designer you don’t clock-out when you walk out of a studio. So when you decompress you stop all that. Let it simmer, all the sensory input, project briefs — stop taking it in. Same thing when working on the physical model of a car. Let it sit, it might look different the next day.
I understand you were into cars when you were very young, to the extent that you were even picky about the ones you’d step into.
That’s what my parents tell me. To this day it’s a fascinating experience for me to see something new. I’m waiting for it actually, not just to create it myself, but to see the examples of other designers.
Specifically cars?
More than anything else. I don’t know why, we can try to break it down to why, but it becomes too dry.
You once mentioned that each designer has a formula. You can put that specific designer on any project and he will approach it the same way. What’s your formula?
Relevancy. Simplicity. Elegance. Efficiency. That’s the way I like to do things.
You can see those qualities reflected in the Ivalo Daedalus chandalier exhibited at Design Miami last year. What are the materials?
It’s frosted glass and aluminum.
It’s exquisite.
It took longer to design than some cars.
Audi’s “Progress is Beautiful” campaign was brilliantly launching during a time when people were calling for change. But change and progress are not necessarily the same.
What designers need to do is to make things better, not just make things different. If you think a designer’s main function is to change something for the sake of change, or come up with something different then you’re just mushing things around. But ultimately, if you’re going to change something, why not make it better at the same time? That’s how it spins off to making it relevant to the end user. If you’re caught up in your own world of art and aesthetics, then you’re not thinking how your action could effect the main function of the product. As a designer that’s part of our job, how to turn our skill into making things better is our life. Our design ideas should always be followed by, how would my grandfather like it or how would the intended user of this product feel? It has to be delicately balanced, because if you just do something you like, it’s irrelevant. But at the same time, if you always hold customer clinics and do exactly what customers ask for then where’s the progress?
Where’s the soul?
Exactly. Customers tend to react on experience, so they always refer to past experience or past product, and then it’s already old.
Audi is future-oriented.
Absolutely. It’s all about progress. Take a thing like quattro. It was brand new. No one ever dared to think about having such a drive train unless you were going off-roading or going into really rough terrain. But Audi quattro system was not about climbing a mountain and rock hopping. It was about increasing efficiency. So if you don’t think about the future, you will either repeat the same pattern over and over again, or you will come up with something that is irrelevant. That’s an expensive mistake.
What are you working on now that’s not top secret?
Recently we started looking at model lines-ups, which is not just A4, A6, A8, but the synergy between them.
How the brand is being defined.
How does each category of cars: sports cars, sedans, SUVs, interact with the future? Looking at that closely will have an effect on specific model lines down the road.
One of your favorite quotes is by August Horch, “A dream worth having is a dream worth pursuing.” What is your dream?
My dream is to make things better. Ultimately that’s what it comes down to, improve things, the product, the experience.
By first impression Jae’s answer may sound more like a goal, but he sincerely means it. And the scale at which he wants to make things better transforms his statement from simply a goal into dream. Here’s to making your dreams come true.
Via: fourtitude
