'5+1' with Martina Starke – Studio Director Munich at Designworks, a BMW Group Company

_ BRAND STORY

Meet Martina Starke, Studio Director of Designworks Munich in our interview series '5+1’. Designworks is the BMW Group’s innovation studio operating worldwide with studios in Los Angeles, Shanghai and Munich. Designworks was founded in 1972 and its celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. By working with clients from a wide range of industries, Designworks inspires the BMW Group with external perspectives and creative impulses. Designing holistic systems that impact and improve the world we live in is their approach. 

Martina has held numerous design positions within the BMW Group over the last 19 years. With broad experience across both exterior and interior design, as well as material, colour and detail, she assumed responsibility for BMW Brand Vision and BMW Brand Design before joining Designworks in July 2019. In her current job as Studio Director Munich she is leading an international, multidisciplinary, vibrant team of creatives, strategists and consultants and is responsible for the design vision and day-to-day operations of Designworks' European studio.
In our ‘5+1’ interview, you now get a deeper insight into Martina’s career and why she started her career path in Design and Materials. Further you will learn more about her current job at Designworks and what drives her. In addition Martina tells us more about the future of Designworks and what happens next. Of course she also lets us know what influence design has on the future of mobility and what role Designworks plays in it. Last but not least Martina shares her experiences being a women in the mobility industry and gives a great advice to the next generation of women wanting to work in the mobility field.

1. You began your career in Design and Materials and have held various positions within the BMW Group – what led you to choose this particular path? What were your influences?

I’ve always been interested in textiles, so before I studied design, I did an apprenticeship in textile design. This gave me a solid foundation for my later studies because I already knew a lot about techniques and construction. For my master’s thesis, I designed products using sustainable materials. It was a fascinating experience to dive into the field of renewable raw materials – from the original fibers to the final product.

What intrigues me today is the possibility of combining materials and digital technology in a way that meets actual human needs. I think the field of intelligent materials holds great potential.

For me, though, materials have always been more than just a resource or a design element: Before you even begin designing a shape, you have to start with the materials – and they influence much more than just the shape. They define the very character of a product. I guess that, for me, it was probably a natural step to start my career at an automotive company. 

I was lucky because the BMW Group welcomes and encourages people who are passionate about what they do. I have held several positions of responsibility within the company: I have served as head of BMW Brand Vision and BMW Color and Materials, as well as BMW Individual Design. I love being able to change perspectives and take on new challenges, and I am very grateful for all the experience I have been able to gain at the BMW Group. My time with the Group has also given me opportunities to grow personally, gain valuable knowledge, and develop a holistic mindset. Since 2019, I have been the director of Designworks, a very special design studio that is part of the BMW Group.

2. Designworks is the BMW Group’s innovation studio. What does your job there entail, and what is it that drives you at Designworks?

Designworks is an agency and independent profit center where people from many different areas of expertise – from Interaction Design to Product Design to Creative Consulting – work together under one roof. At Designworks, we design products and services that take into consideration the entire mobility ecosystem. As the head of this BMW Group innovation think tank, I have to be an entrepreneur every day and experience first-hand what it means to lead a company. Since day one, this has been a very rewarding experience.

I head up a team of around 40 people with very diverse backgrounds, skills, and nationalities. We work on a wide range of holistic and visionary projects for clients from a number of different mobility-related industries. Equipped with the knowledge we gain from this collaboration, we bring an external perspective to the BMW Group. This allows us to support the BMW, MINI and Rolls Royce brands with research, trend analysis and insights into global design phenomena. The impulses we provide to our mother company open up new and surprising perspectives. This is crucial because today, you need to think in terms of scenarios. There is always more than one solution.

However, we also have to continuously work to develop our own organization. The transformation we are witnessing in many industries is also affecting us. The rise of digitalization has led to a fast expansion of our interaction design team, and there has also been an increase in cross-disciplinary cooperation. Boundaries have begun to blur, so much so that we don’t often talk about “departments” anymore. Collaboration has become even more important than in the past. Today, all of our designers are more hybrid and specialize in more than just one area.

3. 50 years of Designworks: Where do you go from here?

As a matter of fact, Design loves change! And at Designworks, we see many opportunities in this transformative time. For more than 30 years, Designworks has been involved in the creation of new products for the BMW Group: We have played a leading role in the design development of the X5, the i3, and visionary models like Gina. In our studios in Munich, L.A., and Shanghai, we monitor the markets to gain a detailed picture of future customer needs. This is becoming more and more important. I see our employees not only as designers, but also as agents of change. They are on a relentless mission to create something new and better.

In the future, we will have to be even more customer-focused. This means it will no longer be enough to simply monitor customers – we will actually have to put a greater focus on developing products for the local markets. I think there is a good chance that Designworks will further expand its studio network. 

4. What influence does design have on the future of mobility, and what role does Designworks play in this?

Design is a discipline in which designers work to develop the very best solution for the customer. So, naturally, it has a major influence. Mobility involves more than just cars – it‘s an entire ecosystem. As I’ve said before, at Designworks, we look not only at mobility, we look beyond mobility. We create not only the space inside the car itself, but also the space outside the car – as well as the space between the car and other locations, like the home. Infrastructure is another area we put a lot of thought into. We’re working on designing high-power charging networks for long-distance travel throughout Europe. We love seeing our designs become reality and improve the customer experience! We connect the dots; we connect the ideas to the people. And we deliver responsible solutions for a better tomorrow.

5. You are a role model for the next generation of women. What has it been like for you as a woman to build a career in the mobility industry, and what advice can you offer?

I am very happy that I was able to join a company that is so passionate about its people and its products. At the BMW Group, gender doesn’t play a role – our design team is very diverse. 

The automotive sector is still very much a male-dominated industry. I have observed that, compared to women, men spend more time networking – talking about their work and their achievements. I feel that women could do more of that, too. I am convinced that in the future, organizations will only be able to thrive if they listen to women and grant them access to leadership positions.

My advice to women is this: Do as much networking as possible, and early in your professional career, find yourself a mentor.

And the +1 question from Martina to you:

The way we work has changed dramatically over the past decade, so I am curious to hear from ellectric readers: “What are the three main criteria you apply when you’re considering a company as a potential employer? “


Thanks to Martina for doing this insightful ‘5+1’ interview with us. We can’t wait to see what is happening next at Designworks.

If you want to hear more from the many inspiring women in the industry, check out the ‘elle’ section of our magazine.

Pictures: Designworks
Interview: Britta Reineke