BMW Design Boss Says 'Good Design Is Not About Pretty Or Ugly'

In the car design realm, we believe there isn't another soul that's as controversial as the man who drew the new BMW 4 Series. His name is Domagoj Dukec, the head of design at BMW, and amid the hot waters he's in right now, he talked to Esquire magazine about his journey as a designer.

Like a parent describing his own offspring, Dukec defended the 4 Series in the paid advertorial interview. He said that it isn't as radical as the media (or the rest of the world) see it, and that it's a "very elegant car with very good proportions."

He goes on to add that people shouldn't be looking at the grille in itself, but rather at the car as a whole, even comparing it to a three-course menu at a restaurant. But what Dukec seems to forget is that the 4 Series' fault isn't all about the comically huge grille. As pointed out by a previous BMW designer, the increased beltline angle and removal of the Hofmeister kink add to the criticisms.

Going back to the interview, Dukec told the publication that a good design is not about pretty or ugly since both things are subjective. He also repeated his statement before about designing something that 100 percent of people will like. Then he concluded by saying that what they want is for people to feel eternal love with their car, unlike the infatuation that one would feel when you see an attractive person.

To some extent, we agree with what Dukec was saying with his recent interviews in defense of the 4 Series. You can't really impress everyone, especially for a company with millions and probably billions of fans around the world.

However, if the general public has a negative reaction en masse, to which BMW admitted to being aware, then it's quite obvious that something's amiss.