On perfection in composition. A portrait of Anders Warming.

Since January 2011, Anders Warming has held the post of Head of MINI Design. His career path has been the realisation of a childhood dream: Warming never wanted to do anything else but design cars. Barring a short gap, Danish-born Warming has spent his entire professional career with the BMW Group: from Designworks – A BMW Group Company via BMW Design to MINI Design. The hallmark of his work is the greatest possible precision coupled with creativity. His aim is always to produce a virtuous equilibrium, be it between engineering skill and aesthetics, intellect and gut instinct, or hand and heart.

His philosophy: design as a skilled craft.
Anders Warming sees design as the perfect balance between engineering skill and aesthetics, and he believes art to be the link between these two poles. Only through art can design come into being. He views automotive design as a virtuosic handcraft in the literal sense – a work created by hand. That is why he assigns great importance to the sketching phase: in the development process the sketch is crucial to the entire shape of the design. Authenticity also plays a pivotal part in his work. The vision of a vehicle should be comprehensible and should speak to people not only on an intellectual but also an emotional level. He learnt his craft at two of the motor industry’s most famous training establishments: the Art Center College of Design in the Swiss town of Vevey and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

His source of inspiration: expressive creativity.
Anders Warming derives his imaginative power from the act of creation itself. Be it music or paintings, he loves creating things. When he sets out to paint, he doesn’t draw an initial sketch but simply allows the image to take shape. Here he savours the magical moment of looking at a blank canvas and deciding exactly what he wants to express through his art. For every stroke of the brush adds a permanent element to the work: unlike drawing on a computer, when you’re painting there’s no “undo” button.

On the personal side.
Music plays a defining role in Anders Warming’s private life – whether as listener or musician, on the guitar, at the piano or behind the microphone. He also enjoys talking to young people who aspire to a career in car design, helping them by passing on his insights into the challenges of the industry.