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The history of BRAUN. Good design makes a product useful

In the 1920s, BRAUN started its operations as a small mechanical workshop, and by the 1960s, it had become a globally recognized brand for consumer electrical appliances. This growth was fueled by technical innovations, quality, and outstanding design. Today, the company is a part of PROCTER & GAMBLE CO.

In 1921, engineer Max Braun founded the company in Frankfurt, producing radio parts at that time, and by 1929, power amplifiers and radios. Max Braun was one of the first in Europe whose technology combined a radio receiver and a record player in one device.

The original logo was designed by Will Munch in 1934.

When Wolfgang Schmittel joined the BRAUN design department as a freelancer in August 1952, he revised the Braun logo, giving it more constructivism.

When Wolfgang Schmittel joined the BRAUN design department as a freelancer in August 1952, he revised the Braun logo, giving it more constructivism. During World War II, Braun had to cut back on the production of products for the civilian sector. By 1944, the factories in Frankfurt were almost completely destroyed.

Just a year later, Braun and his team began rebuilding the company, an endeavor that led to the production of their first electric shavers within five years, bringing worldwide fame to the company. Braun's first shaver was the S50. This model featured a vibrating shaving block with a thin but robust mesh system.

This principle is still used in Braun razors today. Max Braun died in November 1951. His sons Artur and Erwin had to take over the company's leadership.

In 1954, the Braun brothers approached teachers from the newly established design school in Ulm and hired a group of designers, among whom was Dieter Rams. In the early stages of his work at Braun, Rams designed the architectural design of various exhibition complexes, but became increasingly interested in industrial design. The new design concept under Dieter Rams and the Braun design group quickly gained fame, and by the late 1950s, Braun products were selected for prestigious collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The following years saw an expansion of the product line, wristwatches, alarm clocks, hair dryers, calculators. In the 90s, Braun's partnership with Oral-B led to the creation of electric toothbrushes developed by the Braun design group. The company's philosophy is a years-long experience of the past with an ambition to provide the best user experience in the future.

Over the years of his work, Dieter Rams came up with ten principles of good design:

  • Good design is innovative

  • Good design makes a product useful

  • Good design is aesthetic

  • Good design makes a product understandable

  • Good design is unobtrusive

  • Good design is honest

  • Good design is long-lasting

  • Good design is thorough down to the last detail

  • Good design is environmentally-friendly

  • Good design is as little design as possible

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