"The material that something is made of is going to become more important. Malcolm Sayer, the engineer of the Jaguar D-type, came from the aeronautical industry. He used materials like aluminum and rivets, materials that create great patina. They have character after they've been in a battle. Today, we want to make things new and sanitary. But if you look at a person's face, it tells a story. That's what we are attracted to: To that for which we don't have an answer. To things that challenge us, to things we can't predict. To things that don't make us feel comfortable.
"A good friend of mine, Tom Kellogg, who worked for Raymond Loewy, was interviewed on public television about his vision of the future of color and materials. He talked about tropical fish, reptiles, leaves, and how you can see through them when the sun hits them. We are so primitive as far as developing inanimate objects. We paint with paint, make interiors of leather, cloth, and plastic. Then you look at a reptile's skin, its texture, and its ability to change color. Maybe in years to come, just like an animal does, we can grow a product and its color will be based off its DNA. We're just touching the surface. Compared with nature, we are children.
"We have to become awake - from the design side, from the engineering side, from the marketing side. We're going to sit down together, roll up our sleeves, have the conversation, and not leave until we're all happy. The designers are leading the show. They are the ones who can take all of the aspects from all areas, the ideas that are hard to express in one object, and communicate them through design."