Book Review: Roots and Wings – Peter Schreyer: Designer, Artist and Visionary

Few designers have bridged the gulf between East and West as successfully as Peter Schreyer. In the last fifteen years, he has made Kia, along with Hyundai and Genesis, not only household names, but brands of design distinction and worthy of a place in any enthusiast’s garage. This success is built on a foundation laid over two decades of excellent work at Audi and Volkswagen, where he helped move the German marques forward in the 1980s and 1990s.

These chapters of his work, along with his personal story, are documented in a handsome new monograph from Gestalten called Roots and Wings - Peter Schreyer: Designer, Artist, and Visionary.

Like any good design monograph, Roots and Wings is equal parts biography, manifesto, and portfolio, with fifteen case studies of significant projects in Schreyer’s oeuvre. Case studies include the Audi A2, the Volkswagen Beetle, the Audi TT, the Kia Kee, the Kia Kue, the Kia POP, and others.

As these stories are told, we learn fascinating details about Schreyer, his background and influences, and the development of each car profiled. There’s plenty of incidental trivia along the way, perfect for studio discussions, pub talk, or obscure car Twitter. Example: Which car is considered the “black sheep” of the Kia family, because it is “a bit of a rascal”? (No, we’re not revealing the answer).

Much of Schreyer’s work involves bold concepts coupled with precise details. With such attention focused on strong themes, and even stronger details, it may come as a surprise to learn that improvisation and spontaneity are strong influences on his work. He is admirer of the Dadaists, the large-scale paintings of Cy Twombly, and the sculpture of Jean Tinguely and Alexander Calder, as well as the music of Miles Davis and Frank Zappa. Many of these artists have work that seems to establish an artistic direction or statement and then veers off in another directions, or another perspective.

Schreyer’s own life reflects this in his dramatic departure from a comfortable leadership role at Volkswagen and Audi to a new position at a then little-known automaker of bland econoboxes. This role involved a move from Germany to Korea, a hemisphere away.

But the role and the tabula rasa were irresistible. His work at Kia, and Hyundai, and Genesis has advanced those brands immeasurably, and guaranteed Schreyer the honour of being one of the premier designers of our time.

This volume from Gestalten documents his work very well. While not exhaustive, it doesn’t need to be. The highlights of Schreyer’s career, and the outline of his personal biography, are more than enough. Additionally, Schreyer’s personal design philosophy and five design principals are included (and illustrated) in the text.

Our verdict? Roots and Wings deserves to be on your bookshelf, in a place where it can be frequently accessed and studied.