What’s next for Ex-BMW Designer Chris Bangle?

Chris Bangle has become an important part of the BMW history. He was the head designer at BMW for many years which directed the brand to change the look of the E65 7 Series and E60 5 Series. During his time, they deviated away from what BMW’s usually looked like and not all BMW enthusiasts appreciated that. Eventually, Chris Bangle left and moved on to do other things. So where is he now and what is he up to next?

Bangle actually has his own design firm now and the projects that he works on are far more diverse than just cars. The name of the firm is Chris Bangle & Associates. It is located in the small town of Clavesana, Italy. Bangle is running the business with his wife, Catherine, and two other full-time employees. The rest are freelance workers.

“I wanted to found a design company of associates for the reason that I believe in co-innovating, with everyone from clients to engineers, marketing and end users,” said Bangle. “The clients we have are still classic design clients. But they are clients that want more than just product design, they want their own company to embrace design and grow along the way.”

Once upon a time, Bangle started his career designing cars for Fiat. He eventually moved to BMW. However, he rarely does any car work these days. His range of projects include liquor bottles to nursing homes. He has been designing for big and small brands including Adidas and Samsung. If he does, then it may be something that peaked his interest. Interestingly enough, he actually currently working on something that’s automotive related. In fact, majority of his entire team of freelance designers is working on an upcoming electric car. Who the client is has not been revealed.

Bangle is known for being emotional in his design work because he believes that people purcahse based on emotions that they feel. He thinks that there is a lack of emotions from the cars that he sees now. “People have a right to be critics,” said Bangle. “The idea of using things in our life and giving personality and character without adding hands or eyeballs or feet. That’s what car designers should be promoting as a skill set.”