Prof. Dr. Othmar Wickenheiser

Career history

Prof. Dr. Othmar Wickenheiser had been a lecturer at Hochschule München since 1993 and was appointed to the Department of Design in 1996 as Germany’s youngest Professor of Design; he has headed the Transportation Design specialisation ever since. As Vice Dean of the Department of Design at Hochschule München, he was regarded as a reformer of German design education through the ‘Munich Method’ (the method boasts a placement rate of almost 100 per cent for graduates in the design studios of vehicle manufacturers). Working in direct collaboration with all automotive design studios in Germany, he undertakes research into methodological form development and, through forward-looking industry projects at Hochschule München, has been training the next generation for the automotive design and design sectors for almost 25 years. Thanks to his successful commitment to the department of design, the Industrial Design degree programme is now one of the leading centres of training for transport design in Germany. In 2010, he received the award for ‘Outstanding Achievements in the Context of the Professorship’ for the first time; in 2017, he received it for the second time; and in 2018, on the recommendation of the students, Prof. Dr. Wickenheiser was honoured by the Executive Board of Hochschule München as a finalist with a special certificate in recognition of the outstanding quality of his teaching.

After completing his studies in Process Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Clausthal-Zellerfeld Technical University, the scholarship holder at the Art Centre College of Design in Switzerland and the USA specialised in Transport Design, graduating with honours. His dissertation, which focuses on automotive design, is devoted to a scientific examination of the overall proportions of the automobile from its invention to the present day.

Following a brief stint at Isuzu Motors in Japan in 1989, Wickenheiser initially spent five years working as an exterior designer at Audi in Ingolstadt, before taking on joint responsibility for the Design Culture division. His remit included developing initiatives to raise awareness of the expanded scope of design – from form to design culture – both within the company and amongst the general public. Through a series of targeted measures, he succeeded in positioning Audi Design in the public eye as the leading design company, ranking number one in the design rankings, within three years. Under his leadership, the “First International Audi Design Promotion Prize” – with entries from 38 countries, a media value of 3 million DM and over 83 million individual contacts – proved a resounding success for the car manufacturer, serving as a blueprint for activities that contribute to the brand’s rejuvenation.

Wickenheiser formally initiated a comprehensive modernisation programme for Hochschule München by drafting its mission statement and played a decisive role in shaping its content. In recognition of his successful work, he was elected by the senate as Vice-President to the governing body of Hochschule München. His responsibilities included quality assurance in teaching, the concept for a corporate identity (CI/CD) and public relations.

In May 2001, Prof. Wickenheiser was appointed Head of Design and Managing Director of the International Design Centre Berlin (IDZ Berlin) on the recommendation of the Chairman of the Board. As a designer through and through, he thus took the helm of Germany’s most prominent design institution – renowned for over thirty years and boasting the largest membership – in the German capital until the end of 2002. Wickenheiser steered the IDZ Berlin away from its focus as a venue solely for design events towards becoming a modern service provider specialising in design consultancy, research and management, as well as cultural, economic and corporate development.

Prof. Dr. Wickenheiser is active internationally in a teaching capacity, amongst other things as an honorary professor at the Academy in Bratislava, and as an expert witness, for example at the Higher Regional Court of Munich, on matters relating to design and design protection. As a design expert, he has been working for German television since 1999 and has, amongst other things, provided commentary on the International Motor Show in Frankfurt and the Geneva Motor Show on numerous occasions.

As a Project Manager, cooperation partner, scientific director, consultant, author or expert in design, culture, PR and corporate identity matters, Prof. Dr. Wickenheiser has worked for, amongst others, Adidas, Audi AG, Bentley Motors Limited, Braun AG, BMW AG, Bordrin Motors Corporation, Daimler AG, Diehl Air Cabin, DiDi Chuxing Technology Co., Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A., the Fraunhofer Institute, Greenpeace, Honda R&D (Europe), Hyundai Motor Company, Junghans GmbH & Co. KG, Lamborghini Holding S.p.A., MAN SE, MINI, Adam Opel AG, Porsche AG, Qoros Automotive Europe, Siemens AG, Swarovski Mobility, Volkswagen AG, Webasto SE and Wilkhahn GmbH.

Book publications

With numerous books on automotive design to his name, Wickenheiser is one of the most renowned authors of specialist literature in the German-speaking world.

In his first publication, he identifies common stylistic characteristics and outlines the various eras of automotive design; in 2005, using the success story of Audi Design as an example, he presented this to readers for the first time in the context of the post-war automotive era in a way that was both thought-provoking and accessible. Right up to the present day, the standard work ‘Audi Design’ analyses and comments on the entire model range spanning 40 years of design history. Drawing on numerous sketches and models – many of which have never been published before – the author, who holds a PhD in the field, initiates readers into the secrets of the fascinating working methods of automotive designers, explores in depth breathtaking drawing techniques and explains the purpose of the computer as a professional design tool. He also offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the design department – which is otherwise so strictly shielded from the outside world – right through to prototype construction. From the perspective of a transport design expert, the book begins with a precise design description of all production models and concept cars, vividly explaining the specific impact of the design language in terms of silhouette, proportions, surface structure and line work, whilst using cross-comparisons from the wider design field to illustrate the impact of design on people and brands. In the comprehensive glossary, Wickenheiser explains the most important technical terms from automotive design in an easy-to-understand manner. It provides both an overview and in-depth insight in a way that is accessible to all. The book presents well-founded background knowledge on the subject of transport design in an entertaining and accessible manner, taking the reader on an exciting journey from the recent past into the near future of Audi design. This publication was nominated for the 2006 Car Book of the Year Design Award.

His second book, *Car Design Studies*, which he co-authored with his wife, the designer and art historian Dr Swantje Kuhfuss-Wickenheiser, was published as early as 2007. In it, he showcases the fascination of young automotive designers whom he supervised at Hochschule München and who masterfully express their creative potential through spectacular designs and models. Featuring impressive images – accompanied by commentary from the chief designers of German automotive design studios – this is the first time a compendium of vehicle design studies has been published in such captivating variety, ranging from supercars to tricycles, and from evolutionary designs for successor models to revolutionary, forward-looking concept studies. The two authors won the Design Award for Car Book of the Year 2009 for the first time.

With the publication of his next book, Prof. Dr Othmar Wickenheiser has been named the winner in the ‘Design’ category for the second year running. For his outstanding work *MINI Design*, the distinguished jury – comprising Prof. Dr Florian Hufnagel (Head of the Neue Sammlung at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich), Walter de Silva (Head of Group Design at Volkswagen AG), Adrian van Hooydonk (Head of Design at the BMW Group), Wolfgang Peters (Section Head at the *Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung*), and Michael Ramstetter (Editor-in-Chief of *ADAC Motorwelt*) has awarded him the 2010 Car Book of the Year Award.

"Audi Design Project: Automotive Visions under the Motto ‘Intelligent Emotion’" is the title of the book showcasing the impressive design outcomes produced by automotive design students at Hochschule München under the supervision of Professor Dr Othmar Wickenheiser as part of the Audi Design Project. With commentary by Audi’s chief designers Wolfgang Egger and Stefan Sielaff, the book presents a captivating array of revolutionary, forward-looking concept studies, ranging from hybrid supercars to alternative lightweight interior design concepts. The professionalism with which the students define innovative ideas for the future of motoring – from the initial concept sketches through to photorealistic renderings and unique models – once again impressively demonstrates the world-class quality of this educational institution and attracted considerable international attention upon publication across all relevant online platforms for automotive design.

Uncompromising supercars, under the motto ‘Raw Material’, are featured in his next book, which bears the main title ‘Lamborghini Design Project’. Extreme supercars are an indispensable link in translating revolutionary, often cost-intensive technological developments – and, above all, spectacular design studies – into production reality. The designers’ central task is to convey the ingenious progress in acceleration in an emotionally engaging way through product design. This presents a huge challenge for designers, who must always bear in mind the complex catalogue of questions and requirements when creating their designs. Students on the Transportation Design specialisation at Hochschule München, under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Othmar Wickenheiser, have risen to this challenge and produced some fantastic design outcomes. Their dedication and enthusiasm for the outstanding teaching of automotive design – which, through direct collaboration with the Transportation Design Studios, operates at the very highest intellectual and creative level – are impressively demonstrated through captivating images from the design development process.

For his seminal work *Audi Design: Between Revolution and Evolution*, Prof. Dr. Wickenheiser received two of Germany’s most prestigious design awards, including the 2016 German Design Award.

His 2017 book, *Mercedes Benz – Electric High Speed*, demonstrates how aesthetics and functional efficiency can be perfectly combined in a futuristic record-breaking car. In it, he describes how the inventors of the automobile will undoubtedly be one of the key brands driving a society-wide paradigm shift from today’s ‘car’ to tomorrow’s ‘intelligent individual mobility’. The book was awarded the “Automotive Brand Contest 2018” prize at the Paris Motor Show in September. As the winner of the German Design Award, this book was honoured in February 2019, followed immediately afterwards in May 2019 by a third accolade: the special prize for “Best Car Book of the Year 2019”.

His book, *The Next 60 Years*, focuses on the nearly six-decade-long success story of the Porsche 911, an icon of design, and offers a glimpse into the extent to which its design language will evolve over the next 60 years.