Tag Archives: Interview

Rotary blades, tank treads, cyclone airflow: Lymow One Plus robot mower bets everything on cut quality

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Robotic lawn mowers don’t fail because they lack autonomy – they fail because owners stop trusting them. Missed patches, unexpected downtime, edge-case breakdowns: these are the reasons robotic mowing still hasn’t fully replaced traditional mowers on large and complex lawns. Lymow One Plus addresses that trust gap head-on. An evolution of Lymow’s tank-tread, boundary-free mower that has already attracted attention for its rotary mulching blades and steep‑slope capability. The new model builds on its predecessor with targeted hardware and software enhancements, including sharper SK5 blades, an improved airflow system, and advanced AI algorithms. For homeowners with demanding lawns, that means more confidence that the mower will get the job done right.

On the CES floor in Las Vegas, Yanko Design’s Radhika Seth sat down with Lymow co‑founder Charles Li to unpack what “replacement‑grade” actually means. Across the conversation, a few themes kept surfacing: ruthless user‑centric research, a willingness to admit and fix first‑generation flaws, and an almost stubborn insistence on “appropriate technology” over spec‑sheet theater. Lymow One Plus is the hardware expression of those values.

From Lymow One to One Plus, a mower built to actually solve North American yards

Charles describes Lymow One Plus as nothing less than a ground‑up evolution of the original product. “Lymow One Plus is a comprehensive upgrade of Lymow One,” he says. “It delivers a fundamental step up in cutting performance, stability, and long‑term reliability, while becoming noticeably smarter in complex, real‑world yard conditions.”

The target is very specific. Lymow One Plus is “a mower built to genuinely solve problems for large and complex lawns in North America, and increasingly, globally.” Instead of chasing flashy AI tricks, the team went back to first principles. “We didn’t design it to showcase flashy intelligence. Instead, we went back to the first principles and asked a very simple question. What does the user ultimately care about? The answer is very straightforward. Cut the grass short, and well, consistently, without hassle.”

That framing also ties into timing. Robotic mower penetration in North America is still under 5 percent as of 2025, and Charles is blunt that “no one is really successful in the robotic lawn market in the US” yet. The team sees 2026 as a genuine inflection point and wants Lymow One Plus positioned as the product that makes skeptical homeowners comfortable crossing the chasm.

Road‑tripping for R&D, and why a startup can ship what big brands will not

Charles makes it clear that Lymow One Plus is not the result of a whiteboard exercise. He talks at length about the legwork behind the company’s user research. “We’ve traveled through the U.S. I have visited more than 10 states. I’ve spoken to more than 30 families, three hours each one,” Charles explains. “You touch the grass through your own hands. You listen to the users from the deep, from your heart.”

That qualitative research is layered on top of a fairly serious engineering pedigree. “We do have very good accumulation in R&D,” Charles says. “Hardware level, mechanical design. Software level, we do have our accumulation, our autonomous algorithm. Our software team, most of our software team are from autonomous driving industry.” This is the same toolkit used to keep cars between lane markings, now repurposed to keep a mower reliably on task in a yard with patchy GPS and changing light.

There is also a cultural angle: Lymow is deliberately leaning into what a startup can do that a large appliance company often cannot. Charles contrasts their top‑down product decisions with the risk‑averse committees he remembers from his big‑company days, where “the quality manager is going to say, hey, you don’t have reference data” and after‑sales teams push back on anything too unconventional. For Lymow One Plus, that freedom shows up in choices like a front‑mounted mulching deck and tracked treads that would be harder to push through a conservative roadmap.

“Appropriate technology,” not tech for tech’s sake

When asked about Lymow’s long‑term vision, Charles does not talk about AI, RTK, or connectivity first. He talks about time. “Our core vision has always been using the best, or let’s say the most appropriate technology to give people their time back, to make them truly hands‑free,” he says. “Not to show off those fancy technology, but to understand what users need. We tend to say the most appropriate technology, rather than the best technology.”

That philosophy also reframes the yard itself. “A yard should be an extension of the home,” Charles notes in the same breath. If the home has already been transformed by robot vacuums and smart locks, Lymow wants the yard to feel similarly invisible in terms of maintenance, without forcing homeowners to become part‑time robotics engineers.

Specs are treated as a means to that end, not the end itself. Near the close of the interview, Charles relays something “from the bottom of our founder’s heart”: “Specs can tell you what a product is capable of, but they rarely explain how it feels to live with it… What truly earns trust is solving real problems in a pragmatic way, paying attention to small details, and delivering a level of reliability users can depend on day after day.” For Lymow One Plus, he says, “many of its most important [things] don’t stand out on a spec sheet, but users will feel them in how consistently the model works, how little friction it adds to daily life, and how thoughtfully it handles edge cases.”

Redefining “all‑terrain” around real backyards, not demo slopes

“All‑terrain” has become a throwaway phrase in outdoor robotics marketing. Charles is visibly wary of that. “Marketing is kind of tricky,” he says with a laugh. “A lot of manufacturers or lots of brands tend to use those, how can I put it, extreme words. Yeah, I can do everything. People use that in marketing words. ‘All terrain’ is a very strong word. It means a lot. It actually means a lot.”

For Lymow, redefining it started again with fieldwork. North American yards, they found, are not just about inclines. They are about unpredictability. Open lawns with exposed tree roots, mole and rabbit holes, swings, trampolines, and informal forest edges became the true baseline, not edge cases. “In North America, these aren’t edge cases, but they are the baseline. So they became the scenarios we absolutely refused to fail at,” Charles says.

Grass type is another non‑negotiable benchmark. The team evaluated more than a dozen common cool‑ and warm‑season grasses, including thick, tough varieties that will quickly expose underpowered blades. That research directly informed Lymow’s rotary mulching blade system, which is designed to maintain cut quality across that diversity, not just on manicured test plots.

Fixing wet‑mowing failures and rebuilding the cutting system from the inside out

One of the most candid portions of the interview comes when Radhika asks what feedback from Lymow One directly shaped Lymow One Plus. Charles does not sugarcoat it. “One of the issues reported was our hub reliability during wet mowing conditions,” he admits. “In our first generation, the grass clippings could accumulate and eventually kind of damage the hub motor. We’re honest for this.” The response came in two stages. First, interim fixes and even unit swaps for affected early adopters. “For the people that are suffering this issue, we already swapped some new Lymow One units for them,” Charles notes. Mandy adds that it only affected a small number of users, but was taken seriously precisely because they did not want it to happen to anyone.

For Lymow One Plus, the team went much further. “We added dedicated debris shields to significantly reduce grass clippings and introduced scraping guards to prevent the clippings from getting trapped. And also we increased our motor strength by more than two times. Altogether, this changes fundamentally, entirely resolve these issues rather than masking it.” Underneath, the cutting system itself has been re‑architected. The cutting chamber volume has been expanded by roughly 50 percent, creating the airflow headroom needed for more aggressive mulching. Peak cutting power is up by about 50 percent as well, paired with SK5 industrial‑grade blade steel and redesigned geometry that generates a cyclone‑like airflow to lift grass before cutting. “When the blade is rotating, the grass will lift up, so you’re going to have a clean, even cut,” Charles explains.

Side discharge has also been rethought. Instead of leaving visible windrows, the Lymow One Plus deck is tuned to blow clippings out in a more even pattern. “We just kind of blow the grass clipping to make sure it’s not in the line… so in this case it’s healthier for your lawn,” Charles says. “You don’t have grass clippings in the line, but you have, like, an average… so that’s healthy.” Functionally, all of that shows up in three scenarios the team calls out as major improvement areas: wet and rainy mowing, heavy growth (long grass and dense weeds), and leaf‑heavy autumn yards. With the new airflow and power, Lymow One Plus can now lift and mulch thick vegetation that previously needed more favorable conditions or manual intervention, and it shreds fallen leaves more effectively so homeowners can “have a relaxed autumn.”

Why Lymow thinks Lymow One Plus can lead the category, not just join it

Asked to deliver a 30‑second elevator pitch against premium competitors, Charles narrows it down to three claims. “We’re the first one using rotary blades, multi‑rotary blades, the best cutting capability. And we’re the first one who can support the slope of 45 degrees, 100 percent, so let’s say the best climbing capability. And we mow up to 1.73 acres per day in our testing environment. So that’s an industry‑leading cutting efficiency.”

Those are bold numbers, but he quickly pivots back to something less easily quantified: trust. Lymow is not especially interested in feature‑by‑feature comparison charts. “We don’t spend much time positioning ourselves feature by feature against premium competitors,” he says. “What Lymow does is understanding user needs and systematically improving real user experience. So for us, more importantly, it’s the market education. It’s a heavy job, honestly, it’s a heavy job.”

That combination of specs and stance might be what makes Lymow One Plus interesting in a sea of CES robots. On paper, it is a tracked, rotary‑blade mower that climbs 45‑degree slopes, handles over an acre and a half per day, and navigates without boundary wires. In conversation, it is a case study in how a young hardware brand can own its mistakes, obsess over edge cases, and still talk about something as unsexy as “low friction daily life” with conviction.

If CES 2025 was Lymow’s coming‑out party for the original One, CES in Las Vegas now feels like the moment the company starts arguing not just that robot mowers can replace traditional ones, but that they should be held to the same standard of reliability and cut quality. Lymow One Plus is the company’s attempt to prove that out, one tricky backyard at a time.

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FLIR iXX: An App-Based Thermal Camera for the Deskless Office

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Traditional thermal inspections are messy. Technicians capture images, transfer them from SD cards to laptops, manually enter notes into spreadsheets, and spend hours back at the office generating reports. Around 60% of maintenance teams report a shortage of skilled thermographers, which makes the problem worse. Reporting alone can eat up half a technician’s time, turning straightforward inspections into documentation marathons.

FLIR’s iXX-Series is a response to that reality. It’s a handheld thermal imaging camera that behaves more like an app-enabled platform than a single-purpose tool. Built on FLIR’s ACE operating system, the iXX combines high-performance thermography with smartphone-style connectivity and an open app ecosystem. It’s designed for what FLIR calls the “deskless office,” where technicians need their camera to be rugged and smart.

Designer: FLIR

From Camera to App-Driven Platform

The iXX-Series comes in four models, i34, i35, i64, and i65, with thermal resolutions up to 480 × 640. Sensitivity sits under 40 mK at 30 °C, and accuracy hits ±2 °C or ±2%. Those specs matter as the foundation for structured, cloud-connected workflows that didn’t exist on older cameras.

According to the FLIR team, the focus is on “the importance of the deskless office, making sure data can flow in a seamless and customized way according to our customer needs.” That shift from hardware-first to workflow-first changes what the device is for. It’s about getting usable data into the right systems immediately.

The iXX integrates directly with FLIR Assetlink and Ignite, cloud systems that link thermal images to specific assets. Capture an anomaly on a motor, and it tags to that motor in your system, complete with trend data and inspection history. Reporting time, which traditionally consumes up to 50% of a technician’s day, can drop to nearly zero.

One electrical testing company using the iXX with the Condoit app cut their reporting from eight to 12 hours down to under five minutes for large jobs. That’s the kind of time savings that changes how teams actually work.

Designed for the Deskless Office

The hardware is built to survive. IP54 rating, 2 m drop test, 0.8 kg body, and a 5-inch touchscreen that works with gloves. Operating range runs from -15 °C to 50 °C. The battery lasts around four hours with quick charging. It’s industrial-grade housing with a consumer-grade interface layered on top.

The FLIR team explains that “with ergonomics and usability in focus as always for FLIR, it is a balance to address multiple different customer needs and applications with different levels of expertise.” You can hand this to a senior thermographer or a junior tech, and both will find it usable, just configured differently.

You also get an 8 MP visible camera, MSX image enhancement, a work light, and a laser pointer. These let a technician capture context and document conditions without juggling three devices. The touchscreen and app model make the iXX feel closer to a field computer than a traditional instrument.

Open Apps and Tailored Workflows

Where the iXX really diverges is the app ecosystem. It supports FLIR apps, third-party apps, and private apps built by customers. According to FLIR, “having the open approach is critical… now making sure it is easy for anybody to develop something tailored for their use case is a success factor.”

No two plants or facilities run inspections the same way, so the camera should adapt to the team. Apps can guide inexperienced technicians step by step, auto-link images to asset hierarchies, generate work orders with one tap, or enforce security policies. There’s definitely flexibility built into the platform.

A technician walking through a data center can scan electrical distribution gear, flag temperature anomalies, and sync everything to the cloud before leaving the room. By the time they’re back in the truck, the office team already has the data and dashboards updated automatically.

Always-Connected Inspections

Connectivity is built in via Wi-Fi across the line, and certain models, the i35 and i65, include LTE. The FLIR team notes that “a safer and more stable connection is key for having all the data at hand out in the field for taking correct and quick decisions, which can be time critical where cellular connectivity is crucial.”

Many outdoor or industrial sites don’t have Wi-Fi, making LTE the only option. With LTE, technicians can send images, messages, and video calls directly from the device. A junior tech scanning a substation can loop in a senior engineer via video without leaving the site. Office teams see data appear in dashboards in real time.

Inspections stop being isolated tasks and start looking more like live, collaborative workflows. That’s a pretty significant shift for teams used to working solo in the field.

Growing with the Platform and Closing the Skills Gap

Longevity is baked into the design. FLIR emphasizes that it’s “very important in our design decisions, from material choices to how to assemble and disassemble for service purposes… with the capability of growing with the platform and constantly increasing functionality through software updates and also with the app ecosystem where new functionality and features will be added by FLIR and others.”

The camera you buy today isn’t frozen. It’s a platform that keeps evolving through firmware updates and new apps. That also helps close the skills gap through app-guided workflows, onboarding tools, and configurable interfaces.

“With the ability to tailor for any customer needs, the data collections are made easier… and the fact that you as a user can choose what apps to download or even develop yourself makes it suitable for anyone, no matter the level of experience,” FLIR explains. A senior thermographer can load advanced apps while a junior tech follows a guided workflow.

The iXX-Series represents a shift in how handheld inspection tools are designed. It’s a connected, app-driven platform built for the deskless office, where technicians need their tools to be rugged, smart, and collaborative. If this is the future of inspection devices, hardware and software are finally being designed together from the start.

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Nuon Medical: Why the Future of Skincare Isn’t Another Serum

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The beauty industry has spent decades perfecting what goes inside the bottle. Formulas have become more sophisticated, actives more potent, ingredient lists more transparent. Yet the objects that deliver those formulas have stayed mostly the same. Glass jars, plastic tubes, pump bottles, they’re passive containers designed to hold product, not enhance it. Meanwhile, beauty gadgets promised professional results at home but ended up in drawers, forgotten.

The real opportunity isn’t another breakthrough ingredient or another device. It’s that split second where formula actually meets skin. That’s the insight behind Nuon Medical, a company founded by Alain Dijkstra with roots in medical devices rather than traditional cosmetics. While everyone else obsessed over formulas, Nuon started looking at the packaging itself. We interview Senior Consultant Benny Calderone to get deeper insights into the company’s origins and perspectives.

Designer: Nuon Medical

From Chemical to Physical Innovation

According to Nuon Medical, “For decades, the beauty industry focused on ‘Chemical Innovation’—the juice inside the bottle. Nuon is pioneering the era of ‘Physical Innovation.’ In short: we are solving the ‘Last Inch’ of skincare.” It’s a shift that treats packaging as a performance-critical interface, one that determines whether those actives reach their biological targets or just sit on your skin doing nothing.

Nuon’s journey started with standalone light therapy devices used for hair growth and wrinkle reduction. After nearly two decades making those tools, founder Alain Dijkstra noticed they had a retention problem. They added steps to already crowded routines and mostly ended up unused. For clinical tech to work at scale, it had to disappear into something people already do every day.

By embedding tech into packaging, Nuon eliminated the compliance gap. “We realized that for clinical tech to scale, it must be invisible. By turning the packaging itself into the ‘treatment engine,’ we eliminate the compliance gap.” You’re not being asked to do something new. You’re just upgrading what you already do. From a business angle, this transforms a throwaway bottle into something worth keeping.

Frictionless Intelligence at the Point of Contact

Nuon doesn’t start with sketches or aesthetics. They start with human-factor engineering, figuring out how an applicator should guide contact, path, and speed to deliver the formula correctly every time. The result is what they call frictionless intelligence. “We design for ‘frictionless intelligence.’ If a user has to read a manual, the design has failed,” the company states.

Intelligence gets built into the haptics, the ergonomics, the physical interaction logic itself. The tool quietly guides your motion without you realizing it. The applicator steers where you press, how fast you move, the path you follow, all without instructions. Light therapy, microcurrent, thermal elements, vibration, they’re woven into the interaction, supporting the formula instead of distracting from it.

There’s a tricky balance here. Clinical devices can feel intimidating. Beauty objects need to feel inviting, something you want to pick up every morning. Nuon often prioritizes consistency over intensity. “A tool used daily with proper motion and interaction is far more effective than a high-intensity device left in a drawer,” they note. A lower setting used correctly beats a powerful tool that stays in the drawer.

The Hidden Operating System of Beauty

Nuon isn’t a consumer brand. They’re a B2B partner working behind the scenes with global beauty companies. Their modular tech stack works like an operating system, offering a validated foundation that brands dress up with their own materials. Luxury labels use glass and heavy metals. Mass brands use lighter plastics. The intelligence underneath stays the same.

“Nuon is the ‘Innovation Engine’ behind the world’s leading brands. Our philosophy lives in the UX Framework, not the visual skin,” Calderone explains. Brands can apply their aesthetic identity without messing with the validated technology underneath. “We provide the ‘Intelligence’; they provide the ‘Identity,'” he adds. It’s systems thinking applied to beauty packaging.

Data, Sustainability, and the Death of the Dumb Bottle

Once packaging gets smarter, it starts collecting data. Nuon’s applicators can measure skin hydration, texture, UV exposure, and more. But the company is deliberate about how that information gets used. “Data should be a concierge, not a surveillance tool,” according to their philosophy. Diagnostics should inform care, not flood you with vanity metrics. Nuon provides privacy-by-design infrastructure where consumers stay in control.

Then there’s sustainability, where Nuon takes a blunt stance. “Sustainability only scales if it improves the user experience. ‘Green theater’ is asking consumers to settle for less; True sustainability is ‘Assetization,'” the company states. They design the high-tech applicator as something durable that you want to keep. The formula becomes a refill that plugs into that base, separating Durable Intelligence from the Circular Consumable.

It’s not sustainability through guilt. It’s sustainable because the design makes refills the logical choice. You’ve invested in the smart hardware, so of course you’re going to buy the refill. Nuon’s vision is bold. “We are witnessing the death of the ‘dumb bottle.’ In a decade, a passive plastic cap will feel as obsolete as a rotary phone.”

Packaging will become responsive tools that sense conditions and guide your hand in one motion. “Scalp and hair care is the next great ‘blue ocean.’ It’s a category where wellness meets clinical results, and users can immediately feel the benefits of microcirculation and stimulation,” Nuon notes. The broader idea is that everyday objects on bathroom shelves are about to become quietly intelligent without looking like sci-fi props.

Companies like Nuon are writing that next chapter from behind the scenes, proving that clinically meaningful technology doesn’t need to sacrifice what makes beauty objects appealing. It’s a shift from containers to interfaces, from passive to active. If Nuon’s right, we’ll look back at today’s plain bottles the way we look at rotary phones, functional once but hopelessly outdated now.

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The Radical Simplicity of Massimo Frascella: Inside the Mind of Audi’s New Design Chief

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Massimo Frascella sits down across from me with the measured calm of someone who has learned to find clarity in chaos. It’s the eve of one of the most significant moments in Audi’s modern history. Tonight, the brand will reveal its Formula 1 entry to the world. Tomorrow, the automotive press will dissect every surface, every line, every strategic implication. But right now, in this moment, Frascella is fully present.

“We have so much going on and it’s a very exciting time,” he says when I ask if he’s still taking it all in. The understatement is characteristically Italian. There’s so much happening simultaneously at Audi under his creative direction that parsing it into a single narrative almost feels reductive. But when I push him on what the single point of focus is right now, his answer is immediate.

“Well, now the focus is on today. This is a major…” He pauses, catching himself mid-thought, recalibrating. “Tonight, right?”

I confirm: tonight. Hours from now, Audi will step onto one of the world’s biggest motorsport stages.

“Are you excited?”

“Absolutely, incredibly excited. This is a huge opportunity for us.”

The Third Act

I want to understand what this opportunity means to him, not just as Audi’s Chief Creative Officer, but as Massimo Frascella the designer, the artist, the person who chose this path.

“Well, for me personally, it’s part of the journey that I’m having at a personal level within the broader business,” he explains. “It’s like a third act after what we’ve been presenting in Milan and in Munich. So this is sort of a next act that expands. It broadens the whole business towards Formula 1, which is a huge, huge universe.”

Photo: Audi

Tonight’s Formula 1 reveal isn’t just another product launch. It’s the third movement in a symphony that began when Frascella took the helm at Audi. Milan, then Munich, now this. Each building on the last, each expanding the narrative of what Audi can be under his creative direction.

The Designer Who Never Drew Cars

Our readers at Yanko Design are generally interested in designers, I tell him. We started off as a platform fostering new designers, helping them find their voice and audience. So I’m curious: if he could go back in time as himself, what were some of the things that sparked his interest to become who he is today?

His answer surprises me.

“This might come as a surprise. I’ve never really been into cars. I don’t consider myself a typical car guy.”

Wait. The head of design at Audi, one of the world’s most prestigious automotive brands, isn’t a car guy?

“But I’ve always been fascinated and always had interest in design in general, art. I used to do painting when I was a kid. Not drawing cars, by the way, which is probably what you will hear from most car designers. I used to do little sketches as a kid.”

But not Frascella. “Not for me. And it just happened very late in my youth, when I was like 17, 18, which is quite late. My dad had to buy a new car, which ended up being a quite, I don’t know if I can say, uninspiring car.”

“Uninspiring or inspiring?” I ask, trying to clarify.

“Uninspiring in the end, but you know, still a good job” – meaning well-made, just not exciting. “But I remember going around dealers with him and looking at brochures and looking at cars and that’s when I started to…”

He trails off, but I can see the memory forming, that moment when something clicked.

The Day That Changed Everything

There’s a question I need to ask, because I can sense where this is going. “Was there a period when you were interested in the TT?”

“There was a period, of course, and that was like literally it was a crossing between when I finished my transportation design studies and when I started my first job in Carrozzeria Bertone and that was a moment that really formed me because the TT when it came was so different and it really opened my mind, like, you know, okay.”

He’s building momentum now, getting to the core of something important.

“Car design, you know, you can be different. You know, there’s a different mindset of approaching design, where it’s a lot more disciplined in a way, but also very expressive. And TT had all of those elements together and really changed the way I saw car design as I was, you know, entering that world as a professional.”

“As I said, it was probably my first year,” he adds.

I press him further. Can he remember what was the one thing that was compelling about the TT that he can speak of? Fast forward to today, what was that singular element?

“What was compelling about that car, it was the… I like to describe it still today, an incredibly rational design. I always say the TT cannot be designed in any other way. You know, if you look at the car…”

“I like that,” I interject, because this is exactly the kind of design philosophy that resonates.

“You can look at the car and say, would I do this different? And in your mind you go through like, yeah, maybe this. And then you always end up, no. What’s on the car is right. So I always, I was really taken by this approach that the car had and that sort of perfection and rigor in the design, which is very rational. But as a result, it was incredibly compelling to me. I was really attracted by that and I was wondering how can something so rational…”

He doesn’t finish the thought, but he doesn’t need to. How can something so rational be so emotional? That’s the paradox, the tension, the magic.

Objects of Desire

“If you had to design a non-automotive object today, what would that be?”

He considers the question. “Inspiring or that I would love to design or work on. What would you prefer?”

“What would you prefer?” I replied.

“I would love to, and this is a goal of mine at one point in my life, to design… I’m a big fan of watches. That’s one thing that I’d love to design.”

Watches. Of course. The same precision engineering, the same marriage of form and function, the same obsession with every millimeter.

“We can dig into that, but that’s another time for another interview,” I suggest.

I shift to another question. “So what’s inspiring you right now?”

“Oh yes, I’m sorry. What’s inspiring me is… Clearly everything, every sort of design has a level of purity in the form and the execution, but if you were to ask me what is the… let’s say object or physical representation of these values that I’m talking about. I said this to the team when I first started, it’s the pyramids.”

“The pyramids,” I repeat.

“Because the pyramids, for me, they have an absolute perfect geometric form. They have an incredible character, they have an incredible presence. And they really stood the test of time, didn’t they? So there is a quality to those buildings that really covers everything that I think in design you should have.”

The Question of Perfection

Now I want to get into the Concept C, to draw that line back to the TT. “Getting into the Concept C, getting back to the TT, would you consider the Concept C as there’s no other way to design it? I sat in it today and it’s pretty darn perfect.”

Photo: Audi

He’s thoughtful in his response. “You can always, when it’s easier, when you are… if you are evaluating or observing something that is not coming from you or you haven’t worked on, when you sort of evaluate things that you worked on. As a designer, you always find things that you would like to change. Not necessarily is the right thing to do, but you always question yourself. Just like if you ask that question to the people who worked on the TT, they would probably say, yeah, maybe we’ll change this and this.”

“And I’m saying, I wouldn’t change anything.”

The humility is striking. He can see perfection in the TT because he didn’t create it. But his own work?

“So on the Concept C, I have to say, things that I would change. Having said that, you know, there are moments that you think that you would do this slightly different, but it’s a thought that comes and goes. I think the more we’ve experienced the car, you know, out of the design studio as a static object, the more that we’ve seen it coming to life in different settings and moving. The more and more you feel like you cannot reach perfection, but there’s really not much that will change.”

I bring up Plato, because this conversation demands it. “To me that’s profound because I love studying philosophy and just reflecting on what Plato always says, there’s a perfect object in his world. Perfect chair, perfect table.”

Radical Next

This brings me to the big question. “Taking that to the next question, which is your Radical Next for Audi. Can you share any of that aspect with us, with our readers in terms of what we can expect? Because what I understand is anything that comes out from Audi should be very close to production or is ready for production. As a concept, when you see a concept it should be close to that.”

“It is, it is. That’s something that we’ve decided to do. You know, the Concept C is a great example of that. So it’s not only the first manifestation of the Radical Next, it is a design with a full principle, but it is also a very close preview of a vehicle that will come in the future.”

He continues: “What you can expect, to go back to your question, you can expect the translation of those values that you’re seeing on the Concept C and they are part of the Radical Next philosophy in every vehicle coming in the future, which it doesn’t mean that is literally the same design elements, but it’s the same approach.”

“You will have to deliver a different character, but they all have to follow the same guidelines, the same principles.”

Four Principles, No Exceptions

He’s mentioned principles twice now. Guidelines. The framework that will govern every Audi design decision going forward. But he hasn’t defined them yet. This feels important. If “Radical Next” is the philosophy reshaping Audi’s entire design language, I need to understand the mechanics. What are the actual pillars?

I ask him directly.

“Clarity and technicality, intelligence and emotion,” he says without hesitation.

“Are there any priorities within those four principles? Like if you had to subtract one based on time, quality, design, whatever, are they all equal?”

His answer is immediate and definitive. “They have to be there.”

“They have to be there, and then you can possibly dial some of them more than others, but they all have to be present, they all have to be there. So when we talk about clarity and technicality, intelligence and emotion, there is not a priority. You can possibly think of this as a journey through the values, where it starts with clarity and it ends with emotion. So there is logic in the flow of these four principles, but they all have to be there.”

“When we talk about clarity and technicality, intelligence and emotion, there is not a priority. You can possibly think of this as a journey through the values, where it starts with clarity and it ends with emotion. But they all have to be there.”

“Take the Formula 1 car, for example. The emotional side is dialed up because that’s the most visceral aspect of motorsport. But you’ll still see all four principles present: the clarity, the technicality, the intelligence, and the emotion. They’re in everything we do.”

He pauses, then adds something crucial: “And this doesn’t apply only to products. It goes beyond that.”

The Red Thread

I need to understand something practical. “What would be the one element that crosses between the Concept C and what we’re seeing tonight from your perspective.”

“That is exactly what I just said, the four principles.”

Photo: Audi

But I need to get more specific. “Physically, like if I had to physically explain it to our readers.”

“Well, one car is clearly a very different object.”

“Right. But if readers saw the Concept C and the Formula 1 side by side, what visual DNA would connect them?”

Photo: Audi

“Yeah, the red thread there is what makes them part of the same approach and the same philosophy is clearly the influence on the form of Formula 1 is very limited, if none. It’s very tight in spec, in the design. So the way we link to Audi philosophy is with this level of geometry, geometric approach and very clear, very clear definition of the character of the vehicle.”

“And then having the subtleties of the textures and the technicality in the finish, the exposed materials like the carbon fiber, and then of course, you know, the red that is taking a much higher degree of strength and power to elevate the emotional aspect.”

“So, again, all the four principles that are applied in their own way to the Formula One.”

The Tactile Future

Moving to the technical side, I want to explore the interior experience. “Going back to Audi’s vision developing, this is for our technical readers. The interiors are increasingly becoming more digital, and as I sat in the Concept C today, keeping everything minimal, but still very intuitive. Would you say what I experienced with the steering wheel will translate to a production model?”

I elaborate: “On the Concept C, all the dials, the buttons, it’s got a lot of characteristics of watches. It reminds me so much of the tactile experience.”

“Yeah, the answer is absolutely yes. The answer is absolutely yes, because that’s part of, it’s a big part of our approach to delivering the right experience once you sit in the car, once you drive the car, once you experience the environment and the interface with the car. So what we showed with the Concept C is clearly a preview of what we are aiming to deliver on the production.”

“And I would say this is not just for the Concept C, but applies to all Audis going forward.”

Technology in Service of Experience

“Audi has always been at the forefront of automotive technology, from the Virtual Cockpit onward. As you shape the future, what comes first: technology or design? Or do they inform each other equally?”

“They both work together, and this gives me also the opportunity to talk about giving form to a function as well. So there is an aesthetic side of design, but it’s also a more functional side to design, so it’s much broader than that. Technology is massively important for Audi, but it’s also important to use technology in the right way because the risk is that you want to display technology just for the sake of it, just to show that you are technological in a way. And I think that provides no benefit. The idea is to use technology to enhance the experience, or develop technology with a specific goal in mind: to deliver a proper Audi experience for the customer.”

Sustainability Without the Sermon

“How about sustainability, what does that mean to you? Everyone is talking about sustainability, but to you, what exactly does that mean as it pertains to Audi?”

“Sustainability still is a word that is mentioned a lot.”

“It was mentioned a lot maybe in last few years, today you almost don’t even have to talk about sustainability.”

“So you’re saying it’s sort of part of the DNA.”

“It has to be embedded in everything you do, you know. Sustainability goes from, you know, the use of materials, the method of making, the circularity of… It’s much broader, but I feel like when you hear talking specifically about sustainability, it’s a bit of a forced concept, because today you just cannot operate without having sustainability at the heart of what you do.”

Material Innovation

“How about material choices? What are your favorite material choices? I know it’s a broad question, but personally…”

“It’s a question that I really like because I am a huge supporter of innovative materials and bringing a perception of sustainable material or alternative materials like interior furniture, for instance, is something that will happen also in automotive. I think the Concept C is again a great example of that, how we have managed to deliver a very fresh, modern and very premium execution of what is a two-seater sports car without using traditional material.”

The Concept C proves you can deliver luxury without leather, premium without the old signifiers of expensive. It’s luxury redefined through intelligence and innovation.

Rapid Fire

“We have a few minutes left. I have some rapid-fire questions for you. Just off the top of your mind. Sketchbook or iPad?”

“Both, but a sketchbook for me mostly.”

“Pen or pencil?”

“Pen.”

“Really? No room for mistakes?”

“No.”

“What size pen do you use?”

“Just a Bic.”

“Really?”

“Sometimes I try fancy pens, but I go back to the old ones.”

The man leading design for one of the world’s most prestigious automotive brands sketches his ideas with a disposable pen. It’s perfect. It’s exactly right.

“I think I know the answer to this, but I’m just going to ask it for the record. Minimalism or maximalism?”

“Minimalism, but you’ve got to be careful. Minimalism doesn’t appear to be stripped down. That’s important. It’s reductive but not necessarily minimal because minimal can be associated with basic.”

“Excellent.”

Inspiration and the Grid

I ask about his favorite city for creative inspiration. He’s traveled the world throughout his career, from Italy to England, California to Munich. What place fuels his creativity most?

“Does it have to be a city?” he asks.

“It can be anywhere. Any places that inspire you.”

“Right, so I would say city-wise, I find New York very inspirational.”

“Is it because of all the lights and all the movement?” I ask, trying to understand what draws him there.

“I find a mix of heritage and modern. I find it’s easy. It has a lot, but it’s very simple to navigate and move around as well. There’s a logic to New York.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. You’re on an island. There’s nowhere to go. There’s a grid.”

“There’s a grid.”

The grid. Of course. For a designer who values clarity and rational design, Manhattan’s relentless geometry must feel like vindication in urban form. You can find any address just by understanding the system. Twenty-sixth street crosses every avenue. The logic is inescapable.

But then he pivots to something deeper.

“But inspirational, I mean, for me, inspirational, and this is an answer that I give all the time, inspiration is never voluntary, it’s never deliberate. It’s absorbing what you see, particularly when you’re traveling, but every day, and then inevitably, you know, you bring it back out in what you do without even knowing it.”
“Inspiration is never voluntary, it’s never deliberate. It’s absorbing what you see, particularly when you’re traveling, but every day, and then inevitably you bring it back out in what you do without even knowing it.”
“It’s not like, oh, I’ve seen this. Let me try and do something inspired by that. No, for me it doesn’t work that way.”

“But sometimes, you know, often what you do is connected to something that you’ve experienced. So that’s the inspiration, but it’s never an immediate connection.”

The Door Opens

“So the last question I have is collaboration. If you were to, say, wake up one day, now that you have direct connection to the CEO, you could say, hey, let’s do a brand collaboration with X, Y, and Z. I think this is going to be great. What would that brand be? It can be a watch brand too, wink-wink.”

He smiles. “I’m not going to say a brand, but I would say all the progressive brands that you see out there that like to take risks.”

“That’s an awesome answer, because that just opens the door to so many different things.”

And that’s exactly right. Frascella isn’t naming names because he’s not limiting possibilities. Progressive brands. Brands that push boundaries. Brands that understand that the future isn’t about doing things the way they’ve always been done.

What This Means

There’s something quietly radical about Massimo Frascella’s approach to leading one of the world’s most iconic automotive brands. He didn’t arrive at Audi with a portfolio of concept cars or a reputation for dramatic reinvention. Instead, he came with something more fundamental: a belief that rationality and emotion aren’t opposing forces but essential partners in great design.

That belief was forged in 1998, during his first year at Carrozzeria Bertone, when he encountered the original Audi TT. The car proved that disciplined, rational design could create profound emotional impact. Now, as Chief Creative Officer reporting directly to the CEO, Frascella is scaling that lesson across an entire premium brand at the most disruptive moment in automotive history.

What makes his “Radical Next” philosophy compelling isn’t just the four principles themselves (clarity, technicality, intelligence, emotion), but the insistence that all four must always be present. You can’t subtract one to save time or simplify production. You can dial them up or down depending on context, but absence isn’t an option. It’s a discipline that extends beyond product design into every touchpoint: showrooms, marketing, customer service, brand experience. This isn’t cosmetic. It’s structural.

The proof is in the commitment. Under Frascella’s leadership, Audi only unveils concept cars that preview actual production models. The Concept C, revealed in late 2025 and arriving in showrooms in 2027, represents this new contract between brand and customer: what you see is what you’ll get. No fantasy. No bait and switch. Just honest design intent made real.

Even the Formula 1 reveal tonight follows this logic. The F1 car can’t share surface language with the Concept C (regulations prevent that), but it shares the geometric rigor, the technical precision, the material honesty. Same principles, different canvas. It’s how you build a coherent design language across radically different applications.

Perhaps most telling is how Frascella talks about inspiration. Not as something you hunt for on mood boards or Pinterest, but as osmosis. The pyramids he studied. The TT that changed his trajectory. The Manhattan grid. They’re absorbed unconsciously and emerge transformed in his work. It’s the creative process stripped of mystique and ego, revealed as patient observation and disciplined synthesis.

This is why he sketches with a Bic pen instead of expensive tools. Why he defines luxury through innovative materials rather than traditional signifiers like leather. Why he insists technology must serve experience rather than showcase itself. These aren’t affectations. They’re evidence of a design philosophy built on substance over spectacle, function over flourish, clarity over complication.

And when asked about future brand collaborations, he doesn’t limit possibilities by naming names. He simply says “all the progressive brands that like to take risks.” It’s the perfect answer, because it’s not about him or Audi making choices for others. It’s about opening doors and seeing who walks through.

In an industry obsessed with disruption for its own sake, Frascella is proving that the most radical act might be returning to fundamentals. The TT showed that rational design could be deeply emotional. Under his leadership, Audi is proving it can be done again, at scale, across an entire premium brand. That’s not just good design. That’s cultural leadership.

The post The Radical Simplicity of Massimo Frascella: Inside the Mind of Audi’s New Design Chief first appeared on Yanko Design.

How Collaborative Tools are Revolutionizing the Design Pipeline: An Interview with KeyShot

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The journey of creating a product doesn’t end at design—it’s where it begins. KeyShot, a trusted name in product visualization and rendering, is evolving that journey with its innovative Product Design-to-Market Suite. Imagine a world where designers, developers, and marketers don’t work in silos but move together in perfect sync. That’s the vision KeyShot is bringing to life, and it’s already shaking up workflows for companies big and small.

We sat down with Garin Gardiner, Product Director of KeyShot Hub, to uncover how this suite is solving challenges designers didn’t even know had solutions. From effortless collaboration to smarter asset management, KeyShot isn’t just keeping up with the demands of the design world—it’s rewriting the rules. Dive into this conversation to explore how KeyShot is empowering creators to dream big and deliver faster.

Click Here to Download Now: The whitepaper for an in-depth look at how this new framework can transform your business.

Yanko Design: What specific areas in the product design process does KeyShot’s new Product Design-to-Market Suite address? How does this optimize a business’ workflow in ways that older versions of KeyShot didn’t?

Garin Gardiner: Our flagship product, KeyShot Studio, is primarily geared towards the individual designer. It was the first scientifically accurate rendering engine, now used in over two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, with thousands of customers around the world. We’ve always worked closely with our customers to keep Studio relevant to their needs, and over two decades of development, we learned about other significant needs related to the design process, team workflows and business logistics. We saw a huge opportunity to help – and to revolutionize the way products are brought to market.

We’re introducing a concept called Product Design-to-Market, which is a holistic strategy that connects the many departments involved in product creation and market delivery. You can think of it as bridging the product design and go-to-market processes. Instead of working in silos, we’re encouraging a smooth exchange of information and assets across design, development and marketing teams. The result is faster iteration, better alignment, and a seamless transition from first sketch to market delivery.

Of course, you need the right tools to make this vision a reality. Our Product Design-to-Market Suite, which includes KeyShot Studio, also provides comprehensive design team support in KeyShot Hub and connection to the management and distribution of marketing assets in KeyShot Dock.

Yanko Design: How have early adopters responded to KeyShot Hub’s collaboration capabilities, and can you share how it has improved their design process?

Garin Gardiner: It is amazing how nearly every customer we’ve talked to, when we ask them how they’re navigating team workflows, say they struggle managing a central repository for their team to find the core items they use frequently. When individuals can’t find what they’re looking for, they often create duplications, and there’s so much time wasted in that. Hub provides that central repository, so everyone has access to the current version of the file, meaning no duplications are necessary. Plus, changes to the file can automatically be tracked and you can easily revert back to a previous version.

Another favorite is the shared material library in Hub. Customers say being able to work from the same material library makes a huge difference. If a material gets modified, the entire team will automatically get the latest and greatest the next time they use a material. They are also able to tag it for easier searchability, so they aren’t creating duplicate materials, like they often do today.

Hub’s related assets feature is really resonating with customers. When you apply materials to a scene and save it to the Hub, you are able to see all those materials linked to the scene in the Hub for a quick CMF view of your scene.

Tagging is another feature customers appreciate. When saving a rendering to the Hub it will automatically attach tags – Model Sets, Camera, Studio, Environment, Image Style, Colorway, and Materials. These tags can then be used to search for renderings. Searches can be saved for later re-use by all members of the team. Our customers care a lot about their CMF – it’s a key aspect of what they do. They can also manually update tags if they prefer.

Customers are also loving the side-by-side comparison feature between versions. You can select two versions and real-time compare them using a dynamic slider; it’s really helpful to compare differences between versions, especially when the differences are in small details. Our customers create a lot of versions of the same rendering and being able to compare versions side-by-side is helpful.

These are all features that Hub users say address the team and workflow challenges they’re facing today. Ultimately, it’s all about saving time and enabling easy collaboration, so designers can focus on their craft rather than administrative tasks. And you can see how everything works in a full demo of Hub available on YouTube.

Yanko Design: What developments in other industries are providing inspiration for KeyShot as it paves the way forward with its new Product Design-to-Market Suite?

Garin Gardiner: There’s certainly movement toward breaking down silos and supporting cross-collaboration. We have seen how companies like Microsoft have enabled richer collaboration using the cloud through their Teams platform. We have also seen design tools like Fusion transform how their customers work with Fusion Team.

These developments were part of what inspired us to offer a purpose-built Product Design-to-Market Suite to better support our customers. Now KeyShot provides speedy and intuitive rendering, support for design team workflows, and support for marketing.

Yanko Design: We’re very excited about KeyShot Dock’s enhanced Digital Asset Management system! How do you envision it helping companies better organize and distribute their 3D assets across marketing and sales channels?

Garin Gardiner: Right now, marketing teams are typically responsible for generating their own images and animations, separate from product design. They budget for product visuals and often make them from scratch, spending time and money on photography and design work. But they could be saving time and money by repurposing the 3D renderings already produced by design teams, which make it easy to create an infinite amount of marketing-worthy product visuals. CAD models and KeyShot scenes can be stored in KeyShot Dock, providing a connection between marketing and product design and empowering marketing to use those assets across go-to-market channels.

Our customers tell us that 3D visuals are much more effective than 2D images or product photography; 3D visuals lead to higher conversions and lower return rates.

Customers can expect regular updates to Dock. Over time, we are looking to enable viewing 3D interactive files like GLBs and even the possibility of generating on-demand 3D viewables from CAD models like SolidWorks, STEP and more.

Yanko Design: How do you see technologies like AI and machine learning influencing the future of 3D rendering and Digital Asset Management, and will KeyShot incorporate these innovations?

Garin Gardiner: We’re considering how to incorporate AI into our tools in a way that adds value to users. While generative AI can provide impressive results in image generation, we still believe that accurate rendering – down to highly detailed materials and brand elements – will require physics-based rendering. However, we are analyzing how AI can help our customers achieve greater efficiency in their workflows or increase the speed and quality of rendering, through processes like sampling light rays used by rendering algorithms or denoising rendered images.

On the marketing side, AI has the potential to make it faster and easier for teams to generate 2D renderings as a replacement for physical photography. Imagine feeding AI with 100% accurate product data and using it to generate creative environments around accurate renderings.

These are all possibilities we’re looking at right now. AI has so much potential to provide creative and logistical support – it’s all about making the most of it.

Image Credits: Silvester Kössler

Click Here to Download Now: The whitepaper for an in-depth look at how this new framework can transform your business.

The post How Collaborative Tools are Revolutionizing the Design Pipeline: An Interview with KeyShot first appeared on Yanko Design.

“Learn to ‘pitch’ your process” AEG+Electrolux Leadership talks about Design Ethos, Career Growth, etc.

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It’s rare that we as consumers get a look behind the curtain to see the design process behind the products we use. In fact, even as designers, we’re usually very appreciative of a final product, not having any idea of the process behind it… and rightfully so – companies hold their cards close to their chest. You’re probably never going to get an insight into how Apple makes its phones, or how Lockheed Martin makes its jets. All these processes are highly confidential, however, for creatives, there’s a lot to be learnt from getting exposure to great design companies, their processes, and even the mindsets of their creative leads and heads. It’s rare for us to get such an insight, but not entirely impossible. We got the opportunity to sit down with the design leads at Electrolux and its premium brand, AEG, and ask them questions we wouldn’t normally get to ask. Keeping products and launches aside, we spoke about design processes, thought patterns, approaches to sustainability, and even managed to ask them the most important question of all: What does it take to get hired at Electrolux/AEG! Take a stroll through the interview below with Thomas Gardner (Global Senior Design Lead for Product Line Taste at Electrolux Group) and Christopher Duncan (Head of Product Line Taste at Electrolux Group in Europe APMEA), and be sure to bookmark the page for later.

Yanko Design: For our readers who are getting their first insight into AEG’s design wing, tell us a little bit about the philosophy behind how you operate.

Thomas Gardner: With consumer-centricity and sustainable living as our guiding principles, design has become so much more than just giving form to objects. Working on such a complex ecosystem of appliances involves so many different skillsets and expertise, from usability research to materials specialists, digital craftsmanship and project leadership. We’re not just designing products, we are creating an entire cooking experience that spans all manner of technology and platforms. Being able to create a cohesive and harmonious outcome, that’s the real magic of delivering a range of products such as this.

YD: Does the design team spearhead which direction the company innovates in? Or is it more of a collaborative effort between management, marketing, engineering, design, etc.?

Thomas Gardner: It is absolutely a collaborative effort, since good innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. The only way we can innovate in a meaningful way is to base the creative process on real observations and genuine consumer understanding.

Christopher Duncan: Design has been one of the key ingredients in our innovation process. Because at Electrolux Group we see the designers not just focusing on 3D design. They are at the center of our so-called innovation triangles, our cross-functional teams working on innovation, at the forefront of developing great solutions for our consumers. Thinking out of the box to deliver functional and meaningful design.

YD: Tell us a little about the current line being debuted at IFA 2024.

Thomas Gardner: The three pillars that underpin this range are SUSTAINABLE, PERSONALISED, and INTUITIVE. Sustainable, as in using the full potential of a connected ecosystem in order to guide the user to make smarter decisions about what they cook and how they cook it. Personalized, as in offering an experience that grows and develops with you, guiding you into exploring new techniques and technologies. Intuitive, as in everything being exactly where you need it and where you expect it. As an example, we’ve been working with eye-tracking technology to validate the placement of functions, buttons etc… So let’s say you ask 100 people ‘How would you turn on the oven’ and a majority of the participants first looks in lets say the top left corner of the product, well, you may not have the final solution but you have a really good clue to research further… just one example of how we research and validate that which may seem obvious.

YD: What about the new features being debuted this year?

Christopher Duncan: The new AEG Kitchen Range is articulated around 3 main pillars: A Striking Design, Sustainability enablers, and Assisted Cooking redefined. The jewel of our kitchen design lineup is our stunning AEG SaphirMatt Induction Hob, which received the “Best of the Best” Red Dot Design Award. It’s a perfect example of what I call functional design. Thanks to the matte texture of the ceramic glass we can offer 4 times more scratch resistance and no more fingerprints.

When it comes to responsible living & sustainability, we strengthen our AEG Ecoline offering with better energy class across the whole range and provide eco guidance tips to consumers helping them to save 30% energy across the range.

Let me now elaborate a bit more on what we are doing to bring more assistance to the consumers. We are coming up with new connected User Interfaces, across ovens and hobs, which we call CookSmart Touch. And we are launching a world premiere with AI TasteAssist. This is a cool feature enabled by our AEG App that helps consumers to turn online recipes into optimized settings for their oven. The key insight is that 80% of consumers look online for recipes. And most of these recipes recommend a top-bottom heat 180 degrees program… simply because they are universal recipes that have to apply to any oven. Thanks to AI TasteAssist, we are able not only to automatically translate the recipe into cooking settings for the oven, but we are able to optimize the settings for better taste and more healthy cooking thanks to Steam.

YD: How would you describe your design language?

Thomas Gardner: What I’m personally really proud of is how we’ve managed to keep the design language really restrained. It’s all about having a few visual elements that can be applied across different product categories, creating a sense of familiarity without feeling forced on the individual product. It’s really understated which I feel conveys a strong sense of confidence and purpose. Maybe the best example of this being the execution of the AEG logotype on our Matte Glass products, where the appearance of the logo is simply the absence of matte surface. Our logo, our most precious commodity, simply being expressed in negative space. I really like that.

YD: We’re actually debuting a collaborative Design Competition shortly too, can you tell us what kind of decor do you see these products fitting in? Do you personally believe in a cohesive design language or do you like the idea of products standing out against their surroundings?

Thomas Gardner: For what we do, how we sell our products, and the context they work in, I believe a cohesive design language is critical. Just as an example, having the same tone of black across the range rather than multiples thereof helps not just in simplifying production but also in creating a sense of whole, harmony, and completeness. This becomes even more important in the creation of user interfaces, where learning new icons and behaviors for each product would be extremely frustrating and inefficient for the user.

YD: I’m sure sustainability plays a very important role in the way products function. We remember seeing quite a few unique features in the dishwashers and washing machines from a few years ago. How is this current product line championing sustainability and zero waste on the design end?

Christopher Duncan: As I mentioned, Sustainability is one of the three pillars for this new range. Since 85% of the global climate impact of an appliance is coming from the usage phase, we dedicated more effort to reducing their energy consumption. That means we secured updated energy classes for all products in line with industry best practice. We then spent more time to give eco guidance to our consumers through our new CookSmart Touch User Interfaces, helping them to reduce energy consumption by 30%. Let me give you two examples. On our hobs we offer the SenseBoil technology. Thanks to vibration sensors in the hob, we’re able to detect when the water is boiling, and therefore able to reduce the power at that stage. Did you know that 20 seconds of overboiling with an induction hob consumes as much as charging fully your mobile phone? The second example is on ovens: we have configured our cooking cycles in a way that uses the residual heat in the oven cavity to finish the cooking, to reduce energy wastage. Consumers are really welcoming such smart solutions that help them to reduce their carbon footprint and at the same time save money.

YD: As far as the consumer goes, how do the sustainability-driven features affect/uplift their lives? There was a debate in 2019 about how the ‘Eco’ feature in dishwashers may take less time, but it ends up using more water and energy. How is Electrolux Group approaching these issues this time?

Christopher Duncan: It’s more and more important for consumers, not only because they have become more eco-conscious due to climate change, but also they have felt every month the increasing cost of energy affecting their purchasing power especially during the energy crisis last year. The challenge for us is to make people understand what drives energy consumption in appliances. For example, our dishwashers eco programs take more time. Why? Because what drives most energy consumption is the heating of the water. So to reduce energy consumption, we lower the temperature of the water but we then need to compensate this with more mechanical action from the water jets in order to deliver the same washing performance. It’s quite counterintuitive for consumers to understand that longer dishwasher cycles consume less energy. That’s why we developed the QuickSelect user interface. Slide your finger along the MyTime slider to set the cycle duration. The display will show the program length and provide guidance on energy and water consumption, indicated by green ECO bars on the left-hand side. The more green bars, the less energy and water you use.

YD: What sets your design ethos apart from other brands in this space?

Thomas Gardner: As I touched on before, having the confidence to go understated and restrained, rather than loud and decorative. Having the final consumer in mind rather than the crowded shop-floor environment has guided our process into one of calmness and intuitive, simple usability. Our continued commitment to a more sustainable way of living and eating is also pretty unrivaled in the industry and it carries across to the products we make, no matter if it’s the materials we use or the guidance we provide.

YD: A lot of our readers are designers or aspiring designers. What’s the one thing you learned on the job that you didn’t learn at design school?

Thomas Gardner: Communication and collaboration is everything, at least if you wish to work on complex industrial products like these, that literally involve hundreds if not thousands of people across multiple-year long timelines. The trust and respect of your colleagues is the single most valuable currency you have and it takes years to build up. The language you use is as important as the pictures you show, whether it’s giving a presentation or writing an email. So make sure you master both.

YD: Finally, a portfolio question. What do you look for in a designer/creative and a manager in product line when they apply for a job at Electrolux Group?

Thomas Gardner: Finding that perfect person to join your team can be one of the most challenging yet rewarding and stimulating experiences you encounter as a design leader.

Normally, let’s say I’m hiring for a junior designer, I would be looking for two things, mainly:
1: Does this person have the capacity to be somewhat productive from day one? To know that, I’m looking for some nice computer renders, perhaps some storyboard illustrations, basic Photoshop work, a good sense of visual space, layout etc… Since I’m probably looking at many portfolios in a short amount of time, less is usually better. So pick your top 5-7 projects, no more. But make sure they show variation, no point in showing 10 projects that all demonstrate the same skillset (unless you’re looking for a job to do that exact task, of course).

2: Learn to ‘pitch’ your process. Not the outcome, it’s usually less relevant than you think. But the journey you took, how you got there, that’s what I’m keen to hear. To understand how you think, your process, your enthusiasm for the subject at hand. Don’t be afraid to ‘nerd out’ on some small detail, those things are usually where the magic happens, the thing that stands out and makes your presentation memorable. It’s really hard to disagree with someone who is absolutely passionate over what they have created…

Christopher Duncan: Good tips from Thomas there. From my side, I look for curious people. People who ask the “Why?” question 5 times. Because truly understanding the consumer pain points is what leads to great and relevant innovation. And then having a collaborative mindset. We believe a lot in co-creation at Electrolux. Each function comes with its expertise in the discussion. The outcome is usually surprisingly good. And finally, for a designer/creative, it is very powerful to be able to visualize ideas and concepts quite early in the concept. Because this triggers even more innovative thinking from the cross-functional team.

The post “Learn to ‘pitch’ your process” AEG+Electrolux Leadership talks about Design Ethos, Career Growth, etc. first appeared on Yanko Design.

Exploring the 2022 Lamborghini Countach: An In-Depth Design Analysis with Mitja Borkert

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Mitja Borkert’s approach to designing the 2022 Lamborghini Countach is a masterful blend of reverence for its heritage and a leap into the future. As the Head of Design at Automobili Lamborghini, he walks Yanko Design through his creative process, illuminating how the new Countach is a culmination of various iconic elements from its predecessors, reimagined for the 21st century.

Designer: Mitja Borkert for Lamborghini

Borkert’s design journey begins with the original Countach prototype, unveiled 50 years ago at the Geneva Auto Show. He extracts the essence of its purity and simplicity, as evidenced in the uncluttered silhouette and the slim front grille. This minimalist approach is a nod to the prototype’s untainted form, a defining characteristic he sought to echo in the new model.

The influence of the LP400 ‘Periscopio’ is evident in the innovative photochromatic roof panels of the 2022 Countach. This modern interpretation of the ‘Periscopio’ view offers a contemporary solution to the original’s limited rear visibility, allowing the driver to adjust the transparency of the roof panels as needed.

The most striking inspiration comes from the LP5000 Quattrovalvole, known for its exaggerated features and a favorite among Countach enthusiasts. Borkert draws from this version to infuse the new Countach with a sense of drama and presence. The hexagonal wheel arches, reminiscent of the Quattrovalvole’s prominent flares, are reinterpreted with a more human, rounded form. This subtle softening of lines blends the Countach’s characteristic sharpness with elegance.

In reimagining the Countach for the present day, Borkert doesn’t just replicate; he reinterprets. For instance, the new model’s taillights are an agonal shape iconic to the original but are slimmed down, aligning with the car’s overall streamlined aesthetic. The chopped-off rear end, another hallmark of the classic Countach, is reenvisioned to dramatically showcase the rear tires, much like a motorcycle, adding to the car’s dynamic stance.

His vision for the 2022 Countach extends to its interior, drawing inspiration from a white Countach with a red interior owned by Lamborghini in the mid-1980s. This color theme is a tribute, linking the past with the present.

The essence of the Countach spirit underlies all the design elements of this car, making it an experience rather than just a sight to behold. The new model maintains the V12 engine’s iconic roar, which is a crucial aspect of its DNA and has been amplified by a specially designed exhaust system. This sound, combined with the innovative design, not only pays tribute to its predecessors but also honors its long-standing legacy in the world of high-performance supercars.

The post Exploring the 2022 Lamborghini Countach: An In-Depth Design Analysis with Mitja Borkert first appeared on Yanko Design.