Michael Schmidt about color, surface and material as fourth dimension in design and architecture
Michael Schmidt is an
internationally active product designer. He graduated
from Stuttgart University as an engineer in 1989, after which
he took a postgraduate course in capital goods design at Stuttgart State Academy
of Art and Design. He spent his first years in industry
at Mercedes Benz and DesignworX, where he redesigned the logo of the AUDI brand
in 1994. In 1996 he founded his own design
studio, code2design, in Stuttgart. Michael
Schmidt sees himself as a design author who translates stories into products. In 2011 he received the Aqua Cultura Award for his
services to bathroom culture. Since 2019 he has also been an
external consultant for innovation and design management at FSB.
"The details are not the details. They make the design." (Ray und Charles Eames)
Colour and
finish have always been the fourth dimension of product design, architecture
and interior design. They are closely linked with the
material in which these applications are implemented. Without this dimension, the product or architecture is unfinished and
often soulless. Without this dimension, the story is incomplete.
We are
currently experiencing a return to old values and traditional craftsmanship as
a counter-trend to globalisation and digitalisation (e.g. handmade and/or
small-batch glass and ceramic products, but also Michelin-starred cuisine
featuring regional products). At the end of
the day, people are made of flesh and blood – they are analogue beings. They need spaces, materials, finishes and
colour in order to find themselves and be moved. In our homes – and especially in the bathroom – we come into direct
contact with the architecture, the products and their design.
Lecture: The Fourth Dimension in Design and Architecture: Color, Surface and Material
Speaker: Michael Schmidt, code2design
Date: Friday, 15. March 2019, 12:00 pm
Location: Saal Europa, Hall 4.0, ISH Frankfurt/Main
The lecture will be held in German.
