“Design is a team sport”

30 countries, all age groups, and many cultures are represented in the Volkswagen Design Team. “Mobility is extremely diverse nowadays. As such, the Design teams are very eclectic and increasingly multidisciplinary,” says the Head of Volkswagen Group Design, Klaus Zyciora. The Golf is close to the experienced designer’s heart, as he himself has declared. “If it were not emotional, we could not do it!” And when a new Golf GTE cruises almost silently past the Tiefer See lake in front of the Volkswagen Group Future Center Europe in Potsdam at the crack of dawn, Klaus Zyciora’s eyes light up: “You have an idea in your head of what it might be like, you plan, you work as a team on it for more than four years – and then there it is. That is a good feeling!”

Two of his designers have come to Potsdam today to meet Klaus Zyciora. Both were instrumental in shaping the Golf, together with their teams, over the course of many months: Mathias Kuhn, who heads the User Interface Design department at Volkswagen – the area, in which everything revolves around the interface between man and machine, and in which the user interfaces in the car are designed. And Ingo Brückmann, interior designer and at Volkswagen since 2005. During the design process, he accompanies the cars from the initial sketches to the point when they are handed over to series production.

Both consider diversity and team spirit to be very important factors in good automobile design. “Many ideas from different characters – when they come together, they produce something big,” says Mathias, describing the development process of a Volkswagen model.

The challenge facing Klaus Zyciora with each new project is to bundle all the different creative forces. A challenge he relishes every time. For over 30 years at Volkswagen, he has been instrumental in shaping the current Volkswagen design language. This is the third time he has been responsible for the complete design of the Golf. “Designers are individualists: combining all the strong personalities and ideas, to produce a holistic product, is a big task – and a nice one.”

A spark in your head. Creativity needs time and space. “Inspiration comes from outside influences,” Ingo muses. “Then you get a spark in your head, which runs through your arm and onto the paper in the form of a sketch, making it tangible.” Mathias nods: “My biggest inspiration are people. If you watch them closely, they often show the way forward.”

Ingo and Mathias have known each other for many years through their work at Volkswagen. Today, they are going on a very special exploratory tour, starting in Potsdam, during which they will immerse themselves in each other’s personal lives: what moves them outside the design studio? What inspires them? And where to they get their inspiration?

Picturesque arches. Their journey takes them to Berlin, where both have lived for many years. First stop: Charlottenburg. Ingo guides the Golf GTE into an empty parking space at the bustling Savignyplatz. The many street cafes and restaurants are full, as people enjoy the late summer sun. Over the “Bücherbogen” book shop rattles the S-Bahn train, in which the light of the sun breaks at staccato intervals. You immediately get the feeling that this place has a very special flair. A place, to which Mathias is always attracted.

Since 1980, the historical Stadtbahnbogen building has been home to a book shop, which is renowned for its international range of books on architecture, photography, film, art and fashion – and one of Mathias’ favourite places. “I studied and lived in this district for a long time. I still come here to get my books.” Mathias and Ingo browse through the vault-like rooms, losing themselves in discussions surrounding art and design. Ingo is also immediately inspired by the magical atmosphere and the incredibly diverse selection of books in “Bücherbogen”. He soon finds a graphic picture book for his wife. What a stroke of luck, as today is their anniversary. “Quality books, the architecture, and the many different kinds of people and nationalities – this is a wonderful combination for me,” says Mathias with a smile.

Urban coolness. “I was born in Namibia, raised in Hannover, and studied in Berlin. I like the mix of internationality and provinciality here,” says Mathias. Ingo adds, with a chuckle: “From Braunschweig to L.A., and then Berlin. My journey has also shaped me.” It is the contrasts, in particular, that the two designers find so fascinating about Berlin. They have now arrived in Kreuzberg, the district in which Ingo and his family lives, next to the River Spree. “Charlottenburg is your original West Berlin. In contrast, the snotty district of Kreuzberg has that infamous Berlin bluntness and a lot of heart – here, every neighbourhood is different. I like that,” says Mathias, after exiting the car.

He has parked the Golf GTE in an area that almost defies reality – an area that perfectly reflects urban style for him and Ingo: huge graffiti works on old walls, a factory chimney, illuminated by the evening sun like something from a film. Brightly-coloured, weather-beaten surfaces adorn a basketball court. “You find surprising locations like this everywhere in Berlin,” says Ingo. “It feels great to live in a place like this. The city is a melting pot: a rich history, a lot of nationalities, many contrasts, and a lot of new elements. There is always something new, and things change all the time. Everything is dynamic.”

The Oryx White Golf GTE also forms an exciting contrast, standing as it does – pure and brand-new – in front of the old factory walls with their artistic, often psychedelic graffiti. It is the car, which now attracts the attention of the two designers. Just what is it that makes the design of the Golf so special? “Simplicity,” says Mathias, getting straight to the point. “The Golf is one in an incredible series of eight! It looks simple, but there is an awful lot of hard work behind it.” Three words to sum up the Golf? “Timeless – intelligent – vibrant,” says an impressed Ingo. “When we conceived and sketched it, the new Golf was only accessible to a small team for a long time. Now, finally, anyone can drive it.”

Ingo and Mathias stroll to the banks of the Spree, as dusk gradually descends on the city. The contrast could hardly be more striking: they have just come from the noise of the capital’s bustling roads, now they find themselves enjoying the quiet alongside the river. This is Ingo’s place of retreat. The Spree is flanked on both banks by impressively diversified architecture: on this side, creatively designed workhouses and living accommodation. Opposite: Holzmarkt 25, a multifunctional culture centre. The voices of guests drift quietly over from the outside cafes. “A great contrast. When you come from the vibrant main street, you are greeted by the sparkling water, then the settlement with the mix of different buildings. It immediately makes me want to stay and linger.”

The sun goes down. Evening light on the River Spree. Ingo and Mathias sit on the bank. “It is tranquil, you can’t help but relax. Everything that is loud and moving is over there,” says Ingo, gesturing to the other bank, where a babble of voices emanates from the illuminated bars. “That, in turn, gives you space. Space to think. That is when shapes and ideas start to form in your head. That is not necessarily inspiration in the proper sense, but a form of release.”

Ingo and Mathias watch as the lights dance on the River Spree, and say cheers. Ingo had picked up some drinks from one of Berlin’s 24/7 cornershops, Späti. The perfect accompaniment as they chat about life in the big city and working as a designer at Volkswagen. How they can both often be challenging and tiring. But, above all, they agree that it is usually just great – particularly cooperating with other designers and areas, which complement each other so perfectly – and with whom they have so much fun together.

“Design is a team sport. Nobody can do it alone,” says Mathias. Ingo nods, as the lights flicker quietly.