Life’s a colourful tapestry. A profile of Annette Baumeister.

Annette Baumeister has been Head of Colour and Trim Design and Design Quality at MINI since 2003. In this capacity she is responsible for everything to do with colours and materials for the exterior and interior design of a MINI – from paintwork colour to the choice of roofliner all the way to the seat upholstery design.

Freethinking design .
Born in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Annette Baumeister took a degree in textile design at Krefeld’s University of Applied Sciences before joining the BMW Group in 1996 as part of the BMW design team. As part of her studies she did a spell at the University of Central England which, with its very free yet conceptual approach, had a lasting impact on her. In 2003 she moved to MINI to take up the post of Head of Colour and Trim Design MINI. She sees her job as exciting and extremely multifaceted, following as it does a car’s entire gestation process from concept to advance development all the way to series production. Annette Baumeister’s portfolio of tasks is rounded off by design presentations and the development of special-edition models. For her it is important to take multiple factors into account, since colour and trim design demands a holistic approach: drawing on inspiration and research, she develops a coherent aesthetic concept that blends with the lifestyle embodied by the relevant vehicle. Baumeister is motivated and inspired by collaborations with external designers, most recently with Jaime Hayón in a project for the Salone del Mobile 2015.

A passion for diversity.
The richly faceted nature of the MINI brand exerts a deep fascination on Annette Baumeister. From the idea for an economical compact car to a distinguished motor sport history all the way to a cult car, MINI embraces many different aspects that grant the designer and her team wide-ranging scope for creativity –something each individual designer truly appreciates.

Annette Baumeister was fascinated by the aspects of colour and material from an early stage, and this is reflected in the way she tackles automotive design: in the first instance she approaches it from a visual angle, while a second stage involves the hands and the tactile dimension. The handling of textures and the effect of colours invariably have a strong influence on her work. Baumeister places great importance on high-grade, real materials whose quality speaks for itself, as well as on meticulous attention to small details. After all, each MINI has many different interior surfaces whose quality, feel and appearance combine to define a car’s character to a significant degree.

Annette Baumeister is keen to try out new things – while never losing sight of the customers’ wishes. To maintain this balance she works closely together with other departments, such as sales and marketing, and with the various markets.

On the personal side.
At home Annette Baumeister likes to surround herself with dark colour tones and nuances. When it comes to interior home design, she values both creative contrasts and the juxtaposition of individual elements: random finds with an interesting texture are combined with brightly coloured or graphical accessories. For the designer it is also important to keep her eyes peeled on a daily basis. She gleans further inspiration from travelling, which grants her an insight into other cultures, as well as from visiting trade fairs, manufacturing plants and exhibitions.
Annette Baumeister is married and lives in Munich with her family.