Braun AG was founded in 1921 by Max Braun as a factory for radio accessories, later also for radios. After World War II, Braun AG began to extend its production range to kitchen equipment and electric shavers. The takeover of the Kronberg company by the two sons Artur and Edwin Braun in 1951 heralded a new era in corporate history. They engaged Fritz Eichler to assume responsibility the company’s design policy. The idea of an individual product culture was born. Eichler developed and implemented the image profile of Braun AG at the Düsseldorf trade fair of 1955. A completely new design was presented, which, in line with Eichler’s conviction, was oriented to the new and modern lifestyle in the age of the Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle). Designers such as Wilhelm Wagenfeld, Herbert Hirche, Hans Gugelot and Otl Aicher designed for Braun AG. With the consistent system of corporate and product design that followed and was applied to all sectors of the company, Braun AG exerted considerable influence on corporate culture and its visual communication in Germany.
In 1955 Dieter Rams initially took up the position of architect for the company. He advanced to Head of the Design Department in 1961 and in this function he realized the legendary product designs for Braun. More than 500 unique product designs have been created by Braun since the fifties. In 1967 Braun AG was taken over by the Gillette Company of Boston. The corporate philosophy developed by Braun was retained. Today Braun is a company operating worldwide. In 1996 the designer Peter Schneider succeeded Dieter Rams as Head of the Design Department. Braun product design has won numerous awards, parts of the Braun production were incorporated in the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art. The Institut für Neue Technische Form in Darmstadt has presented the Braun exhibition in its Design Haus since 1990. A collection that provides comprehensive information on the evolution of Braun products.