Curato da Klaus Kemp, 2024
BOOK
Braun: Designed to Keep, published by Phaidon and edited by design historian Klaus Klemp, is the most extensive publication to date on the world of Braun. With more than 500 images and a pared-back, carefully considered layout, the book traces the company’s evolution from a postwar electronics manufacturer in Germany to a key voice in modern design.
Braun became known for an exacting and quietly transformative approach that helped redefine the role of design in everyday life. Each product, (radios, razors, stereo systems, clocks and many more), reflects a design logic that continues to shape how we relate form to function. The clarity of Braun’s approach remains evident in the work of companies that have drawn from its legacy, Apple among them.
At the center of this vision is the work of Dieter Rams, who led Braun’s design department for more than three decades. His ten principles have become a manifesto for generations of designers.
The book presents his contribution to Braun with precision and depth, showing how his idea of honest, useful and unobtrusive design left a lasting mark and continues to resonate today.
Design, Layout and Typography
With its large format and restrained elegance, Braun: Designed to Keep is both substantial and finely executed. The white cover is interrupted only by the dial of Braun’s iconic clock: a black face, white hands, and the unmistakable orange seconds hand.
Inside, the book brings together more than 500 images, including product photography, original advertisements, technical drawings, and previously unpublished archival material. The layout balances full-bleed spreads with more detailed sequences, maintaining a clear and readable structure throughout. Many images appear against white backgrounds or in carefully composed grids that reflect Braun’s visual language.
Headings are set in Braun Linear, the custom typeface developed by the company. Each object is accompanied by detailed captions that note its name, designer and year. A glossary, illustrated index and a series of minimal but effective infographics round out the volume. The structure is orderly but flexible, inviting both a chronological reading and a more open visual exploration.
Why the Book is Interesting
Braun: Designed to Keep arrives at a moment of renewed attention to modernist design, offering a clear and timely reflection on why Braun’s approach remains influential. The book is a resource for those looking to understand the lasting impact of Dieter Rams, a key figure in twentieth-century design whose vision, measured, purposeful and ethically minded, continues to inform the work of many today.
Alongside a rich visual narrative, spanning contemporary photographs and rare archival material, Klaus Klemp’s writing connects the evolution of Braun with the cultural conditions that shaped it. The book makes a case for design as more than a matter of form, showing how each object responds to a specific moment and need.
The book doesn’t shy away from complexity, addressing setbacks, commercial choices and compromises. The title Designed to Keep reads as both a reflection and a quiet provocation—a reminder that good design is made to last, in use and in relevance.
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Details
Phaidon
Hardcover, 424 Pages
978-1838663896
