BRAUN
RADIOS, RADIOGRAMS, RECORD-PLAYERS
AND TELEVISION SETS
Wolfgang Schmittel [Designer]
[Frankfurt: Braun AG, c. 1962]. Text in English. Slim quarto. Glossy printed and letterpress scored wrappers. [[44] pp. Fully illustrated with black and white photography, diagrams and six color plates. Multiple paper stocks with period correct design and typography by Wolfgang Schmittel. White glossy wrappers with several vertical scratches and spine ends bumped. Interior contents bright and nearly fine and wrappers very good. Rare.
8.25 x 7.75-inch softcover Braun catalog with 44 pages devoted to the full line of Braun Radios, Radiograms, Record-Players and Television Sets, circa 1962. Printed in Western Germany by Brönners Druckerei Frankfurt a. M. All product dimensions clearly stated in cm, with technical specifications and finishes included for all the curators out there.
Contents:
-
- Transistor Receivers: Portable Transistor Radio and Phonograph TP 1 [Dieter Rams, 1959] and Pocket Radio T 3 [Dieter Rams,Dieter Rams, Hochschule für Gestaltung, Ulm, Germany, 1958]; and Portable Receiver Model K [Dieter Rams, 1959].
- Radio and Radiograms: SK 2 Radio [Artur Braun and Fritz Eichler, 1960]; PC 3 SV Turntable [Wilhelm Wagenfeld, Dieter Rams and Gerd Alfred Müller]; SK 5 Phonosuper radiogram Radio-Phonograph [Dieter Rams and Hans Gugelot, 1958].
- Stereophonic Equipment: Atelier 1 Stereo with Radiogram with separate Loudspeaker Unit Model L 1 [Dieter Rams, 1958]; Loudspeaker Unit Model L 2 [Dieter Rams, 1958]; Radiogram Model PKG 5 Stereo [Dieter Rams, 1958]; HM 5 Stereo; HM 6 Stereo [Herbert Hirche, 1958]; Auxiliary Loudspeaker Unit Model L01 [Dieter Rams, 1959]; Radiogram Model MM 4 Stereo.
Superhet Receiver Model TS 3 Stereo [Herbert Hirche, 1957]; PC3 Stereo Record Player;
- Television Receivers: Television Receiver HF 1 [Max Braun, 1958]; Television Receiver FS 3; Console Model Television Receiver HFS 2.
The past is prologue: “1960s Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future” written by Jesus Diaz in 2008: “The year 2008 marks the 10th Anniversary of the iMac, the computer that changed everything at Apple, hailing a new design era spearheaded by design genius Jonathan Ive. What most people don't know is that there's another man whose products are at the heart of Ive's design philosophy, an influence that permeates every single product at Apple, from hardware to user-interface design. That man is Dieter Rams, and his old designs for Braun during the '50s and '60s hold all the clues not only for past and present Apple products, but their future as well.
“When you look at the Braun products by Dieter Rams—many of them at New York's MoMA—and compare them to Ive's work at Apple, you can clearly see the similarities in their philosophies way beyond the sparse use of color, the selection of materials and how the products are shaped around the function with no artificial design, keeping the design "honest."
“This passion for "simplicity" and "honest design" that is always declared by Ive whenever he's interviewed or appears in a promo video, is at the core of Dieter Rams' 10 principles for good design:
- Good design is innovative.
- Good design makes a product useful.
- Good design is aesthetic.
- Good design helps us to understand a product.
- Good design is unobtrusive.
- Good design is honest.
- Good design is durable.
- Good design is consequent to the last detail.
- Good design is concerned with the environment.
- Good design is as little design as possible.
“Ive's inspiration on Rams' design principles goes beyond the philosophy and gets straight into a direct homage to real products created decades ago. Amazing pieces of industrial design that still today remain fresh, true classics that have survived the test of time.
“The similarities between products from Braun and Apple are sometimes uncanny, others more subtle, but there's always a common root that provides the new Apple objects not only with a beautiful simplicity but also with a close familiarity.
“Some people will probably call these examples a "rip-off" but, in a world where industrial design and art are constantly being recycled into new work, I just see Apple's products as a great evolution to classic concepts. Now, as I look at Rams' work I can't help but to wonder: which of these old Braun designs will Apple revive next? Is there a MacBook Air—the rumored ultra-slim wire-free portable that seems to be the favorite bet for tomorrow's keynote—in there?”
Wolfgang Schmittel (Germany, 1930 – 2013 ) was a German graphic designer, advertising expert and photographer. Schmittel is considered a forefather of corporate identity and corporate design, primarily via his work for Braun GmbH.
Wolfgang Schmittel studied painting and graphics at the Städel School in Frankfurt (now the Academy of Fine Arts). During his tenure at Braun he pioneered many contemporary communications design concept In 1958 he became head of the department under Fritz Eichler. From 1968 he was around 30 years in charge of the overall appearance of the company as director of communications - both nationally and internationally.
During this time he also developed a new, uniform design concept for the Braun-parent Gillette (Omnimark). After working for Braun, he held several teaching positions, including at Ohio State University. In 1982 he was appointed professor of graphic design at the Hochschule für Gestaltung by Schwäbisch Gmünd. During this time he developed a new corporate identity for the Creditanstalt (CA), one of the largest banks in Austria. [bad wikipedia translation]