“At Audi, we work with a programmed gut-feeling.”
It's that type of inherent, emotional thinking that helps one of Audi's head designers, Dany Garand, in his daily grind. “Programmed gut-feeling” might seem like an oxymoron to some, but for Audi employees like Garand, it's a way of life.
“You have a choice; you can either do things intuitively, or with a target. At Audi we choose to combine the two,” explained Garand of the German automaker's general demeanor towards everything from marketing campaigns to feats in engineering.
Garand applies his intuitive targets in the area of design. A Quebec, Canada native, Garand began his career in engineering and design at Bombardier, but he always had a passion for the automobile. Growing up as his father's helper in an auto workshop, Garand spent his days ogling the '70s-era rides that would roll in for repairs and/or washing.
Then one day in 1978, a white Lotus Esprit (a la The Spy Who Loved Me) rolled into the sleepy town of Sherbrooke, Quebec where Garand lived at the time, and everything changed. From that moment, the young starry-eyed, would-be auto designer could think of nothing else but cars, and he immersed himself in it. While it took nearly two decades for him to reach that goal, he never gave up – and we know we're glad he didn't.
In 2000, Garand began his journey with Audi. Why not another Bavarian giant? According to Garand, Audi was and still is the only European automaker he wanted to work for – and like everything else in his life, it seems, once he set out to reach a specific goal, he attained it.
Since his arrival at Audi, Garand has had his hands in the design of the A segment – mainly the A1, A3 and TT models. While there's been quite a buzz about the forthcoming A3, Garand was mum about the subject and said if we wanted to know more about it, we'd have to wait till Geneva.
However, he was willing to talk about Audi's design direction, core values and how he succeeds in designing cars that appeal to so many across the world, not just in Europe.
“No matter what we do at Audi, it's always applicable to sportiness, progression and sophistication,” explained Garand of his own design direction when he works on a new car. And while those three descriptive words seem simple enough (even buzzword-y in the automotive world) when it comes to applying them to the sculpted lines and interior gadgets of a vehicle, it all gets a bit more complicated.
It's that type of inherent, emotional thinking that helps one of Audi's head designers, Dany Garand, in his daily grind. “Programmed gut-feeling” might seem like an oxymoron to some, but for Audi employees like Garand, it's a way of life.
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| Dany Garand (Photo: Audi) |
“You have a choice; you can either do things intuitively, or with a target. At Audi we choose to combine the two,” explained Garand of the German automaker's general demeanor towards everything from marketing campaigns to feats in engineering.
Garand applies his intuitive targets in the area of design. A Quebec, Canada native, Garand began his career in engineering and design at Bombardier, but he always had a passion for the automobile. Growing up as his father's helper in an auto workshop, Garand spent his days ogling the '70s-era rides that would roll in for repairs and/or washing.
Then one day in 1978, a white Lotus Esprit (a la The Spy Who Loved Me) rolled into the sleepy town of Sherbrooke, Quebec where Garand lived at the time, and everything changed. From that moment, the young starry-eyed, would-be auto designer could think of nothing else but cars, and he immersed himself in it. While it took nearly two decades for him to reach that goal, he never gave up – and we know we're glad he didn't.
In 2000, Garand began his journey with Audi. Why not another Bavarian giant? According to Garand, Audi was and still is the only European automaker he wanted to work for – and like everything else in his life, it seems, once he set out to reach a specific goal, he attained it.
Since his arrival at Audi, Garand has had his hands in the design of the A segment – mainly the A1, A3 and TT models. While there's been quite a buzz about the forthcoming A3, Garand was mum about the subject and said if we wanted to know more about it, we'd have to wait till Geneva.
However, he was willing to talk about Audi's design direction, core values and how he succeeds in designing cars that appeal to so many across the world, not just in Europe.
“No matter what we do at Audi, it's always applicable to sportiness, progression and sophistication,” explained Garand of his own design direction when he works on a new car. And while those three descriptive words seem simple enough (even buzzword-y in the automotive world) when it comes to applying them to the sculpted lines and interior gadgets of a vehicle, it all gets a bit more complicated.
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| Photo: Audi |