The Love Affair: Q&A with Bang & Olufsen Product Category Manager, Theis Mørk
mis à jour le 4 May 2019 à 02:43The manufacturer of the world's best audio sound system and speakers has launched an exclusive collection music aficionados would covet.
To celebrate their 90th birthday, Bang & Olufsen announced the launch of The Love Affair Collection, which sees six of the company's current products rejuvenated with a new colour palette option that allows for the interest in beautiful materials, especially rose gold, which is experiencing something of a comeback in the jewellery industry. One of the most emotive aspects is its underlying meaning. While white gold represents friendship and yellow gold means fidelity, rose gold represents love and is therefore the ultimate inspiration for this collection.
We were privileged enough to be able to get a word with B&O's Product Category Manager, Theis Mørk, on the collection and the brand's innovative ventures.
Marie France Asia: How are B&O innovations changing the design industry?
Theis Mørk: In many ways we are the first movers in tech, a good example is what we just introduced in our new music system in which we have a touch sensitive interface on a wooden panel and I think this is one of the ways we are showing how people can interact with technology in a different way, because it's not just a piece of technology. So what we've done there is domesticated the technology to make something that fits into your home, so it is not just a piece of technology, it is a design that decorates your home.
MFA: What were B&O's approach to innovation design for The Love Affair Collection
TM: We focused a lot on the materials and colours yet at the same time, we stuck with the core design principles that we're known for globally.
MFA: Is innovation prized over design or do they play an equal role?
TM: That’s a tough one as they both play an equal role. It’s always a battle during the development process because you have the engineers on one side and the designers on the other side and you have constant friction between these two. But friction is good because it fuels creativity and challenges the team to come up with the best idea. I would say it's an integrated process with lots of compromise to get the best of both worlds.
MFA: You're celebrating B&O's 90th year, what are some of the brand's major milestones?
TM: We’ve done a lot of products in the past 90 years. Our first product removed the need for radio battery. 90 years ago, radios were powered by batteries and batteries were of poor quality. We didn’t just do it because we could, we did it because we wanted to improve the experience of listening to the radio. We’ve made other iconic products throughout the years, for example, when other music systems were about dials and knobs, we did a new interaction paradigm for the two layer interaction, so it was all touch products. Also, on music systems, when everything was mini and stereo systems were stacked on top of each other, we raised up the music system so you could see the CDs spinning around and you could interact with it in an easy way. There's are just some of the milestones we've achieved in our 90 years.
MFA: How has B&O's innovations changed over the years?
TM: We stick to a lot of the same principles. For example, we still promote the one touch approach to get music started and we are also promoting the one remote for our TVs. We’re always trying to reduce complexity. The one touch principle is something we have promoted and continue to explore and improvise on.
MFA: What can fans expect from B&O's The Love Affair Collection?
TM: Fans can expect a well thought through design, both in terms of physical design, industrial design and the user graphics. The collection is modern but at the same time tactile and very physical, which gives music a place in the home again. Our products resonate with people in the sense that they can enjoy music from the comfort of their homes, in a Bang & Olufsen way.
The Love Affair Collection can be purchased at any Bang & Olufsen outlet and retails from SGD690 onwards.
Karen George
