The ultimate reference on one of the most influential product designers of all time For more than sixty years Dieter Rams has defined the look, feel, and function of some of the world's best-loved consumer items. Using his 'ten principles for good design' as a philosophy and practice for improving the industry in a more holistic, responsible way, Rams has built a reputation with global resonance. Here, for the first time, is a catalogue raisonne of every product that he has designed in his lifetime - a true celebration of his seminal contribution to the field of industrial and product design.

The definitive history of Braun – the pioneering German electronics brand that changed the face of modern design Since 1921, Braun has been shaping the way we live through timeless designs that are simple, useful, beautiful, and designed to keep. Unlike many brands before it, and many more that followed, Braun created a culture of design – underpinned by a set of functional and aesthetic principles – that went on to have worldwide impact. Across 3 sections and more than 500 images, the book charts the company’s defining moments, core identities, and key characters, together presenting the most comprehensive history of Braun ever published. Featuring brand-new photography of Braun’s most iconic products alongside never-before-published archival images, drawings, advertisements, internal documents, and correspondence, in-depth narrative texts interweave the Braun story with the cultural and political history of Germany, providing new context and insight into one of the most famous product design brands in the world. With profiles on key members of the creative and leadership teams that reinforce Braun’s design legacy and the importance of the people behind the process, Braun: Designed to Keep unpacks the brand’s core values – such as simplicity, usefulness, and longevity – that changed the way household products are perceived, designed, and used.

For decades, anyone who cared about product design looked to the Braun label when choosing their appliances, radios, and other consumer items. Dieter Rams, the guiding force behind the Braun look, breaks down his design principles and processes in this elegant new paperback edition. Enumerating each of his ten principles such as good design is innovative; good design is aesthetic; good design is useful, etc., this book presents one hundred items that embody these guidelines. Readers will find items that are familiar such as the ubiquitous coffee grinder but also those that are more unusual such as shelving systems and cigarette lighters. A fascinating essay places Dieter Rams in the context of modern design, from Bauhaus to Philip Johnson. Archival materials include photos of Rams' design team and excerpts from his publications and speeches.

"Less, but better" The motto of the Frankfurt designer Dieter Rams is still topical today - and very much so. In the face of rapid globalization and an increasing number of premium product consumers, the question on the resources and the longevity of products inevitably arises. The book outlines the prevalent design trends in Frankfurt and in the Rhine-Main-area from the 1920s to the 1980s. For furniture, interior and graphic design made in and around Frankfurt over seven decades, functionality, visual strength, austerity, aesthetics in clear shapes and the visionary element always played a major role. This first compact illustration of regional design also raises the question, to what extent German design in the 20th century defined itself through decentralized but intensively interlinked places and institutions.