Braun: Designed to Keep Phaidon Book

The definitive history of Braun – the pioneering German electronics brand that changed the face of modern design

Since 1921, Braun has been shaping the way we live through timeless designs that are simple, useful, beautiful, and designed to keep. Unlike many brands before it, and many more that followed, Braun created a culture of design – underpinned by a set of functional and aesthetic principles – that went on to have worldwide impact.

Across 3 sections and more than 500 images, the book charts the company’s defining moments, core identities, and key characters, together presenting the most comprehensive history of Braun ever published.

Featuring brand-new photography of Braun’s most iconic products alongside never-before-published archival images, drawings, advertisements, internal documents, and correspondence, in-depth narrative texts interweave the Braun story with the cultural and political history of Germany, providing new context and insight into one of the most famous product design brands in the world.

With profiles on key members of the creative and leadership teams that reinforce Braun’s design legacy and the importance of the people behind the process, Braun: Designed to Keep unpacks the brand’s core values – such as simplicity, usefulness, and longevity – that changed the way household products are perceived, designed, and used.

The author

Klaus Klemp is professor of design theory and history at the HfG Offenbach, Germany, and curator of design at the Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt am Main, where he was previously exhibition director and deputy director. Prior to his roles at the museum, Klemp was director of the cultural department of the city of Frankfurt.

Hardcover, 11 3/8 × 9 7/8 in, 424 pages

ISBN: 9781838663896