Anja Hofmann

Master in Business Design
Year of Graduation: 2009
Current role: Brand architect, Mercedes-Benz

Bio

Anja Carolin Hofmann studied interior architecture (Dipl.-Ing.) at the Coburg University of Applied Sciences in Coburg, Germany, and earned her Master in Design Management at Domus Academy in Milan, Italy.

She was an exchange student at the Universidad La Salle in México City and the Università Politecnico di Milano in Milan. She wrote her diploma thesis, a Porsche Design Hotel concept for Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with the Porsche Design Group/Porsche Design Studio in Stuttgart and Zell am See, Austria. In her master thesis at Domus Academy, Anja researched future (auto)mobility in urban areas.

In 2011, Anja became an external Ph.D. candidate at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The aim of her research is to find alternative concepts for automobile product design underpinned by user-centered innovations.

After working three years at the Daimler Society and Technology Research Group in Berlin, where she researched urban and automobile design, she began working in the Mercedes-Benz Brand Architecture department in Stuttgart, Germany. There, she is currently part of a team to redefine the worldwide Mercedes-Benz brand architecture. Part of her work is to develop strategic concepts for the international retailing of the brands Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, Maybach, and smart.

Quotes

“After my master’s thesis at Domus Academy, I was curious to know more about electric cars and their new design potential. This is why I decided to do a Ph.D. in this field…”

“I investigate how design innovations might be implemented in the fuzzy front end of automobile design—the idea for that research was formed during my Domus Academy time.”

“My specialty is to create brand-consistent atmospheres supported by innovative materials and individually designed furniture to provide visitors a feeling of well-being.”