Through my window – Bunkface
Is this cute or what?!
This note is not centred towards anyone in particular. It too is not written by a car company but by someone who is concerned about how Design is being viewed in our local automotive scene.
I was informed that Proton Design was mentioned in a popular automotive blog and also referred to in a leading online periodical recently. Naturally due to the fact I’m somewhat linked to the national car project’s design team I read the comments with great interest. And trust me, there are many! I guess the national car company will always be a point of interest to many people regardless of race or creed or social standing in life.
From my readings I feel disheartened that there are some individuals who write a lot of negativity about Proton’s design prowess but know nothing of automotive design. ZERO. I believe they are known as ‘bashers’. Bashing as in leaving comments in forums and chat rooms that belittle subjects of their interest. But I doubt if these individuals know what they are talking about, much less have any real interest in the designs which roll off Proton’s assembly lines. But then again it could be they are a misinformed lot. Whatever the case may be, it would certainly be more mature of them to check their thoughts before writing them.
Let me put things in perspective. There are about 28.3 million people in Malaysia today. Of the 28.3 million about 5,000 or so work directly with Proton. Of the 5,000 people less than 1,000 work in R&D and from that lot less than 6% are in the styling team. These are the men and women who toil day in and day out to bring you car styling which compete with only 11 other car manufacturers on planet Earth. They are all 100% Malaysian and proud to be so. And did you know that since the Waja, all of Proton’s car styling are done in-house by our locals? I don’t know about you but I’m damn proud to be working amongst them.
What I’m trying to illustrate is that there are only a handful of us in this country that can critique automotive styling. And I can assure you ‘bashers’ do not come close to being eligible to even speak about car styling. Their opinions have no value to us. Don’t get me wrong, constructive criticism is always welcome and we take heed of genuine market needs. It’s those mindless & childish criticisms which belong to the trash.
Allow me to end this post by saying that I know for a fact our local Malaysian designers can compete against world renowned designers, and WIN. In time, more of this will become obvious but for now let me assure you there’s nothing to stand between us and the rest of the world. It’s all in the mind. If you feel you are inferior then you will become inferior because whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve. I’m not being delusional. I can make these statements because I’ve interacted and worked with the who’s who of the car styling fraternity and I know where Proton Design stands.
I think there are two types of people in this world – people who can start things and people who can finish things. And while I place great value on the finishers, it’s the starters who are rare because they can envision what isn’t there. ED FRANK
Click here -> The world’s most expensive and cheapest McDonald’s.
Talk about a neat way to gauge the economy! I’ve read about this a few times in the past and at that point Indonesia had the cheapest Big Mac on Earth. Guess who has the top spot now?
When I posted THIS a few weeks ago I never thought it would create such a hooha regarding design education in Malaysia and abroad. I owe the lively comments from readers such as campromania, jebat35, tokmoh and maruorsa/chaku. Hey, where have you guys been all this while? Relegating yourselves to ’silent reader’ mode? 
Truly I appreciate the knowledge sharing and opinions which were posted. Some were controversial but most were purely honest thoughts from passionate people. Now I wish I can have a status board where you all can post your thoughts impromptu. Anyone knows how to do this?
Allow me to add to the debate… If any of you designers have the opportunity to go abroad PLEASE TAKE IT. Even if it’s for a short trip. Naturally it would be best to really spend time to feel the culture. Whenever I send my designers overseas I always tell them to embrace the culture and mindset. Not to blindly accept the peculiarities but more to analyze and experience.
My professor in university once told me ‘People can take all your material stuff but they can never take away your experience’. True no? Nothing can replace earned experience. It builds character and wisdom. So in your lifetime make sure you experience as much as you can (within acceptable boundaries of course!) AND never forget to share them!
jebat35 -> we have met before so i basically can read between the lines of your writing. although i admire your passion i tend to agree with maruorsa/chaku that you are still young and have much, much more to experience. take time to do that and you will have a great future!
campromania -> it’s true design is about personal passion but it has to be nurtured in the right environment. i’m happy to see you have found yours in your blog. it is nice to see your readers are actively complementing each other and improving your skills.
tokmoh -> you should sign up to be an evangelist of the local design scene… the last we ’spoke’ you were still overseas. i do hope you’re ‘experiencing’ positive design vibes there!
maruorsa/chaku -> you’re still overseas as well right?
Here’s to more intellectual design discourses from all my readers!
Leonardo's machines exhibition
This device was created for Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas as part of it’s memorabilia collection display. In terms of interface design I think it’s an absolute dream to have at the office; especially for designers. Imagine the possibilities!
Back in early August I made 2 posts: ‘thinklab Conference @ National Art Gallery’ and ‘A historic event to remember’ in tribute to a design event organized by thinklab. Throughout the event a lot of photos and videos were taken and I’m grateful an excerpt of my presentation is being published online as part of the thinklab initiative.
“In today’s challenging environment, it is clear the functions and disciplines of old will have to change. Adaptation to new technologies and methods should now not only be of interest, it is a must. Design is one of the disciplines which need to evolve itself at a surgical level and this is due to the nature of the business, which is best described as trend ownership. Designers of today must adapt to new ways of working and also in new ways of thinking. Design plays a critical role in the current economic climate and Designers need to prepare themselves for the future. This is ‘The Next’ as we move towards design sustainability and innovation.”
Azlan Othman
To read the full blog post please refer to this link: Thinklab Designer Series : Part 3 / Azlan Othman
My sincere thanks go out to all the folks at thinklab for all the support and hardwork. Your efforts are indeed appreciated by the design fraternity. Keep it up!
Just to share!
Some views from my Nikon.
If you love history then Italy is definitely for you. It’s not all about fashion or design. It’s about evolution of our civilization. A peek into the past in creating the future.
Greetings from one of the fashion capital of the world! It’s the Milan Fashion Week and everything is a buzz. I unique experience to brush shoulders with the who’s who of the industry and see the best of fashion. Mamma mia!
Next to a row of a Fiat 500 street installation in Milan.
