“Less but better” – trendsetting design from the Main Metropolis

Frankfurt am Main is particularly well known in Europe for its outstanding architecture. But Frankfurt also has its own distinct profile in design disciplines, such as graphic and product design.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, companies, such as Adler, which worked with Walter Gropius and is famous for its stylistic designs for cars and typewriters, or the Bauer Type Foundry, which developed the iconic Futura font, have established the city as a mecca of design. In the second half of the last century, it was above all Braun that advocated an innovative design philosophy for its electrical appliances, which to this day are characterized by their timeless design and intuitive usability. Dieter Rams is the mastermind behind legendary designs such as the LE1 electrostatic mode loudspeaker, the Regie and Atelier hi-fi systems and the ET 66 calculator, which he designed together with Dietrich Lubs. Many of his works have won awards, and several of his devices are in the Museum of Modern Art in New York’s permanent collection. Dieter Rams is famous for modifying the Mies van der Rohe quote “Less is more” to “Less but better,” which became one of Dieter Rams’ defining statements. So, it’s no wonder that Apple founder Steve Jobs was among the most fervent fans of Dieter Rams’ design language. Frankfurt’s Museum Angewandte Kunst has created a style room in honor of the Wiesbaden-based industrial designer, in which his furniture designs, such as the legendary Universal Shelving System 606, can be admired.

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Picture: Dieter Rams Stilraum ? Anja Jahn // Museum für angewandte Kunst