Creating Limited Editions
Designing the Desired
BETTER, more beautiful, more elegant — how are special editions created in the automotive sector? Re-accentuating supposedly sophisticated products and giving them a very special touch requires a great deal of sensitivity and know-how about the “DNA” of the target vehicle. First, the design team goes into the research and inspiration phase. Comparable special editions are studied for up to three weeks, their attributes analyzed, related information compiled, analogues formed and color worlds and mood boards developed. A complex range of information is created. Only a few of these approaches are transferred to the next level of detail. The continuing selection deliberately consists of drastically differentiating styles in order to synthesize them into a coherent concept for the final design.
“Inspiration from outside is often also a decisive component. Preferably people who have barely come into contact with the product to date, but are closely connected to the theme of the special edition,” says Michael Schwidefsky, Head of Design Development at Marchi Mobile. For example, the decisive contribution to the Monaco Edition of Marchi Mobile came from a Monegasque himself. Safi a el Malqui inspired the design team in joint workshops and they then took completely new paths. In this case, the combination of authentic input from outside and professional planning and implementation by designers and vehicle developers created a product that both reflects the intimate character of Monaco in its features and details and allows an elegant vehicle such as the EleMment to shine in a completely new context.
“The trick is to leave the core of the original product untouched, but to set new accents through new arrangements, materials or even the new development of exclusive features that perfectly reflect the theme of the edition,” says Schwidefsky. First and foremost, it is important to give the new creation meaning. The targeted refinement in a defined direction and the highlighting of something special are what make limited editions stand out from the crowd. These special designs are often dedicated to passions and values for specific people, countries or styles. This is how the virtuoso fusion of a product with the theme of the special edition results in a coveted masterpiece — designing the desired!
