“Enduring, not ultimate form”: Braun 300 special DL 3 electric shaver
Still until 23 August 2015, the Red Dot Design Museum and the Ruhr Museum in Essen, Germany, are presenting the exhibition “Enduring, not ultimate form” under the patronage of the President of the German Bundestag, Prof. Dr. Norbert Lammert. It tells “60 years of design history in Essen - from ‘Industrieform’ to Red Dot” in Hall 5 at Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site. The exhibition presents current and historical exhibits, reconstructs elements of past presentations, and documents eyewitness accounts alongside posters and photographs from 60 years of design history.
The title of the exhibition “Enduring, not ultimate form” is a quote by journalist Clara Menck which stems from the time of the first Industrieform exhibition. It describes design as a permanent task to optimise the environment created by us and thus to secure our existence going forward. This becomes especially apparent when looking at the Braun 300 special DL 3 electric shaver which is currently on show in the Red Dot anniversary exhibition.
A small appliance becomes the epitome of quality: When the Braun 300 special DL 3 electric shaver comes on the market in 1955, just 2 % of German men use a dry shaver; by 1960, this figure has already risen to 40 %. Based on the patent of company founder Max Braun, the 300 special DL 3 electric shaver designed by Artur Braun and Bodo Fütterer set a new style standard. The separation into a chromium-plated shaving head and a cube-shaped plastic casing is groundbreaking. The size and weight are well aligned. The rounded shape is pleasant to hold.
The Braun 300 special DL 3 marks a turning point in the design of shavers and in German consumer culture. The main design features of the small electric shaver are passed on to subsequent generations of appliances. Even though the design language has continued to develop up to the present day, the technical principle behind the Braun shavers has remained the same: a perforated foil with a moving cutter block underneath.
"Enduring, not ultimate form"
60 years of design history in Essen - from "Industrieform" to Red Dot
A joint exhibition of Ruhr Museum and Red Dot Design Museum Essen
Exhibition duration
Until 23 August 2015
Exhibition location
Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site
Areal A [Schacht/Shaft XII], Hall 5 [A5]
Gelsenkirchener Straße 181
45309 Essen
Germany
» Further information on the exhibition
» Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
