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.

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.

How are products and everyday items created, which their owners like to use, value greatly and identify with? Things with a high practical value and that are functional, durable and beautiful. Based on the writing utensils by Lamy, the catalog shows an example of the complex design process behind creating a product, including models and sketches by Phoenix Design, Wolfgang Fabian, Sieger Design, Naoto Fukasawa, Richard Sapper or Franco Clivio.