Quo vadis Braun?: an Attempt to Reposition German Design

For a long time, practicality, product honesty and functionality have been regarded as the cornerstones of German design - embodied by the products of the Braun company.

The loss of these traditional design values has been bemoaned several times.

In a student research project, three Essen design students, Jonas Michels, Jörg Peschel and Björn Welzel have examined this topic and the product line of the Braun company in detail, looking for a use of forms that meets current requirements and is more emotional while at the same time remaining true to the established design principles.

Beyond a design-specific analysis of the company's history and philosophy, the three students have developed an idea for the repositioning of the brand.

On the basis of this idea they have developed a complete design concept of a kitchen product.

The topic: the kitchen in 2010 with the emphasis on a concept to reintegrate the archaic fireplace.

The result is a study with the provocative title "Quo vadis Braun? - Identity formation in 21st century German design", which will be presented to the public for the first time in the red dot design museum in Essen on 8 May 2006 at 7:00 pm.