Hartmut Jatzke-Wigand
 
Hartmut Jatzke-Wigand: A Film and Theater Director in the Electrical Industry

Hartmut Jatzke-Wigand

A Film and Theater Director in the Electrical Industry


On July 3, 1991 Jo Klatt and Hartmut JatzkeWigand spent a day with Dr. Fritz Eichler in his home in Bad Soden. The first part of the comprehensive interview with Hartmut JatzkeWigand about Dieter Rams and his work as a designer at Braun was published in the Braun+Design magazine in September 1991.1) The second part of the interview about Fritz Eichler's starting time at Braun and the Braun design was previously unreleased. 2)

Unfortunately, this was the last interview Dr. Fritz Eichler was able to give. He died on August 16, 1991 at the age of 81. Fritz Eichler impressed us with his mental mobility, enthusiasm and human warmth – this is how we will always remember him!

 

 

Passion and Order
Dr. Fritz Eichler About Dieter Rams


The First Part of the Interview

 

H. J.-W.:
In our opinion, Dieter Rams was very lucky. Constellations are rare in which one has certain skills and then encounters the formal conditions to implement these skills like at Braun at that time.

 

Fritz Eichler:
He was really lucky that he joined Braun. This was a coincidence. And Braun was also lucky to find Rams. You can actually say that both were simply lucky.

 

H. J.-W.:
As we know Dieter Rams, he is someone who can really take up a stance. We don't know Gugelot, but we read that his drafts give a very clear direction. Was this friction something creative for the company? Aicher, Gugelot, Eichler, the Braun brothers – everybody had his stance; how did you manage to overcome that "struggling"?

 

Fritz Eichler:
There was no "struggle" – on the contrary. There was consensus and no struggle. Dieter Rams came from the Kunstgewerbeschule in Wiesbaden, just like Gerd A. Müller and Mr. Weigand, the workshop supervisor. I gave a picture to Dieter Rams, it was for his 50th birthday. The picture wasn't a particularly good one – it just fitted perfectly. It was a grid and behind in red and other colors: passion. Passion and order, these two souls – that is Dieter Rams. That's really true, Dieter Rams is still passionate today. He can get upset, but he remains focused on his task.

 

H. J.-W.:
About Dieter Rams' starting time: He came from the Kunstgewerbeschule and worked at an architecture office for some time. At Braun he then met with Gugelot and his colleagues of the HfG in Ulm.

 

Fritz Eichler:
He was of course ready to pick up the Ulm philosophy. Before, he had worked at the architecture office Appel and Becker, an American company working with more innovative methods than common at that time and was already "along that line". He joined us as an interior designer.

 

H. J.-W.:
He decorated a room for you?

 

Fritz Eichler:
Yes.

 

H. J.-W.:
What did the room look like?

 

Fritz Eichler:
I could still draw the outline today; it was simply naked and plain. I turned a dedicated guest room at Braun into my office, next door was a bathroom that I always liked to use as well. If it became too hectic, I locked the door and took a bath during normal working hours. Before that I would tidy up everything. And when I came back I was a different person. I am very grateful that Erwin Braun, both Brauns gave me a lot of freedom.

 

H. J.-W.:

Otherwise you probably had not been able to work as creatively and efficiently.

 

Fritz Eichler:
Sure, they knew me. If they wanted me to bring out the best, this was the only way.

 

H. J.-W.:
How did you know that Dieter Rams was the right applicant?

 

Fritz Eichler:
A room was to be furnished. Other interior designers were given this task as well. It was a room of 20 square meters, not too big actually.

 

H. J.-W.:
How did the others design the room and what did Dieter Rams draw?

 

Fritz Eichler:
They turned this room into a stately large office, a hall, with tempting sketches. Mr. Rams had a table, four easy chairs – he did not need to include a desk as I spent my whole live without a desk – a window board and a sofa. Hans Gugelot, Erwin Braun and I met to assess the drafts. Gugelot then said that he was the only one to be considered.

 

H. J.-W.:
Did you come across situations when looking at sketches for new devices in which you would later say that it was a good decision to have Dieter Rams?

 

Fritz Eichler:
I said that many a time, it wasn't just on one occasion. When working together you can feel how somebody develops. Mr. Rams was not a designer at the beginning, he became a designer. Through Braun. At first, he worked on radio units, then came the 'SK 4', the "Schneewittchensarg" (Snow White's coffin); for which, I would attribute most of the work rather to Mr. Gugelot, because he provided the inventive idea, the character. Neither myself nor Dieter Rams would have thought about using a metal enclosure. When Mr. Gugelot presented the metal enclosure, all engineers also rejected it at once. And then there was Artur Braun, who said that it will work, we will produce that.

 

H. J.-W.:
Which devices of Dieter Rams would you consider particularly successful today?

 

Fritz Eichler:
The studio units, the HiFi devices, the 'studio 60' system, the tube units. The pure simple system without speculations.

 

H. J.-W.:
How did you like the 'T 1000', the multi-band radio?

 

Fritz Eichler:
The multi-band radio is a very successful device. Back then, it was also a top device, although there was another design suggestion I liked even better and which I actually wanted to have. But Mr. Buresch, head of technical radio units development, rather voted for the other design that was implemented then. The draft I had esteemed had the loudspeaker across on top.

 

H. J.-W.:
Do you see a relation between the design of Japanese gardens and the design of Braun devices?

 

Fritz Eichler:
Yes, there is a relation. Just the same, the designers at Braun, Mr. Rams, Mr. Gugelot, Mr. Hirche, etc. also feel related, related in their perception of harmony, order, etc.. You can become philosophic about it. Japanese gardens are designed according to similar design principles. I can remember a monastery garden, it was a garden for meditation. All there is are a couple of stones. It is so beautiful. I wish I could transform this mental substance into other things such as my pictures.

 

H. J.-W.:
Did the designers at Braun at the beginning of the sixties have the possibility to say: We want to design the following device, it should to look like this, and we want the following specific technical details?

 

Fritz Eichler:
Of course the designers could do that. Everybody could express their ideas and say: Couldn't we do it like this or that? On the contrary, often technically creative ideas were and still are initiated by designers. And Dieter Rams is a creative man in that context.

 

H. J.-W.:
This means Dieter Rams proposed products and at the same time thought about technical details. Did Dieter Rams for example design the transistor-phono combination 'TP 1' in that manner?

 

Fritz Eichler:
Yes he did. That was his design idea. Of course it was further developed in detail with the engineers.

 

H. J.-W.:
Do you still know more about that?

 

Fritz Eichler:
We used to think in systems, which the colleagues in Ulm also did when working for us. The individual parts of the 'TP 1' were held together by a bearing plate. For this combination, a famous composer, I can't recall his name right now, wrote a piece of wake-up music that resulted in a wake-up record. This record featured a piece of music that continuously increased and calmed down again after some time. It was a composition on a high artistic level, however, not Jazz, which would have been more suitable. The record should be played at a desired time by means of an alarm clock connected to the record player.

 

H. J.-W.:
Dieter Rams implemented the system idea, which came from the HfG in Ulm via Mr. Gugelot, in all his positions and further developed it at Braun. Is it justified to say that some designs were perceived as a magic moment?

 

Fritz Eichler:
You don't see it as a magic moment. You don't even know how it came into existence. Dieter Rams neither can tell. He would be drawing on a piece of paper and then this would come out as the result. Sometimes within five minutes. So really nothing more than a moment.

 

H. J.-W.:
A good title for a book: The magic moments of Dieter Rams. His sketches, that actually look like they are drawn quickly, then had to be transformed into a three-dimensional model via an engineering drawing. So the model maker had to understand Dieter Rams' thoughts.

 

Fritz Eichler:
I think at the beginning, Dieter Rams worked in the workshop himself. Later, of course, the drafts were executed by others. He corrected the model then. When developing a product, it is important to constantly remain in contact with the engineers.

 

H. J.-W.:
How did Dieter Rams get along with the engineers?

 

Fritz Eichler:
Dieter did always get along well with the engineers. He is realistic and cooperative.

 

"For a Modern Lifestyle" – The Search for a Modern Design of Electric Devices

 

After the discussion about Dieter Rams, Fritz Eichler shows us his art work. We are impressed by the quality, the variety of his artistic ways of expressing himself, but also by his critical distance to his art. His pictures dominate the large apartment furnished – almost sparsely – with classics.

Misusing a mobile bar cart – a design work and gift of Herbert Hirche – Fritz Eichler stores colors, brushes and palette there. After a longer break, we sit down in the chairs at the window and get involved in an intense discussion about the starting time at Braun and the Braun design.

 

 

The second part of the interview with Dr. Fritz Eichler

 

H. J.-W:
I would like to get back to the Braun design, which is known throughout the world today. It is not yet clear to me: Why did Braun, in contrast to its competitors, attach importance to a modern design at the beginning of the fifties?

 

Fritz Eichler:
We used to talk about "Formgestaltung" (creating a form) or "Produktgestaltung" (creating a product) and not of design. It was Erwin Braun who gave the decisive impetus for the modern product design. He was constantly looking for something new. Of course also because he and his brother as the owners had to ensure that the Braun enterprise survived the fierce competition. The products produced by Braun should, according to Erwin Braun, appeal to people who are open towards a modern lifestyle, who have a feeling for authenticity and quality.

 

H. J.-W :
Could you please go into some more detail...?

 

Fritz Eichler:
Go into more detail? That is simple. You as a design collector surely know the first Braun devices. The technical quality of the devices was good but they looked very old-fashioned. To be honest, the radio units looked awful – decorated in gold and spruced up. The functionality of devices also includes their operability, their relation to the users and the relation to the environment. This is often neglected. Our decorated devices fitted a stage decoration but not modern, elegantly furnished homes. Our redesigned devices, therefore, should be inconspicuous and functional and, as Erwin Braun said, like quiet servants. The function of our electric devices should be reflected by their clear shape. The people should by all means like the devices, like to live with them.

 

H. J.-W:
Yes, this is how I feel about the Braun devices in our home.

 

Fritz Eichler:
This is how we all felt at Braun. Erwin and Artur produced the devices that corresponded to their attitude and that they liked to use themselves. If a device is of poor technology and it doesn't fulfill its function – then even the most beautiful design is no use at all. Actually, and I'm repeating myself now, the attitude is decisive that is represented by a company as a whole. The customer can see this attitude in the devices, in the advertising, and the entire appearance of the company. It also becomes apparent at this point that this can only be achieved in a company when working as a team and that it requires time, a lot of time and patience.

 

H. J.-W :
The Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg hosted an exhibition titled "Mehr oder Weniger – Braun-Design im Vergleich" (More or Less – Braun Design in Comparison) that received much attention. In my article for the catalog I tried to outline the Braun design predecessors in radio unit development. And this in particular for the 'Siemens D-Zug' (express train) of 1924/25 with matching enclosures for the different stages and within commercial radio engineering. Did you know these models?

 

Fritz Eichler:
No, not that I'm aware of. I knew of course radio transmitting sets during the Second World War – I unfortunately was a soldier in the radio company of a Panzer Nachrichten Regiment. The radio sets had a very clear and functional design. Decorative elements were of course missing and the devices needed to be light and perfectly easy to operate.

 

H. J.-W:
I can see connections to the design of the 'T 1000' or to the Braun system 'studio 2'. Would you agree?

 

Fritz Eichler:
Connections may be established with respect to the design. The amplifier 'CSV 13' for example and its control elements feature a clear structure comparable to a radio transmitter set – both are straightforward and perfectly easy to use. And the 'T 1000' with its technical performance, its protective cover, its ease of use, and the straight enclosure basically is a commercial device.

 

H. J.-W :
I would like to get back to your starting time at Braun. There are actually many versions: How did you – an art historian, a theater and film director – get to work at Braun?

 

Fritz Eichler:
Well, I knew Erwin Braun from the terrible times of war. In Weimar, we talked about art, about values, and of course about our plans if this horrible war would ever come to an end and if we would survive. During this terrible time, it was an encounter of two people who liked each other and trusted each other.

 

H. J.-W:
And how did you then start to work at Braun?

 

Fritz Eichler:
I was engaged with my theater and film work in Munich and Erwin Braun asked me whether I wanted to adapt advertising films – by the way very old-fashioned and uninspired films. For Braun, it was a time of change then. After the sudden death of their father, Erwin and Artur Braun had to continue the business. A challenging and responsible task, because competition was fierce in the electrical industry. Erwin Braun was looking for new possibilities for the range of devices as well as for sales and marketing. Artur Braun had the difficult task to further improve production and to develop new devices.

 

H. J.-W:
What was so attractive about Braun in 1954 that you quit your theater and film job you loved so much and stayed with Braun for such a long time then?

 

Fritz Eichler:
First of all the working atmosphere. After a short time we were all very close at Braun. The Braun brothers cared a lot about their employees – which wasn't a matter of course at that time. Furthermore, it was a time of change in Germany – modernity had just arrived in Germany. Astonished, intelligentsia caught up on what they had been missing during the Nazi era and, for example, rediscovered the arts. Nolde, Picasso, Leger, but also furniture of Saarinen or Eames – everything was hardly known and there was a great backlog. Erwin Braun was looking for modernity – simply to keep the company he inherited alive. The search for modernity – this was something I found interesting for myself as well.

 

H. J.-W:
What was your contribution to this search?

 

(Fritz Eichler smiles whimsically)
Well, my contribution. First, Erwin Braun was always looking for new possibilities. We envisioned a modern lifestyle for which the people of course needed electrical devices. The question was how these devices should look like, which characteristics should they have, and how should they be marketed? Erwin was, as you know, deeply impressed by a speech of Wilhelm Wagenfeld in the fall of 1954. Wilhelm Wagenfeld emphasized the entrepreneurs' responsibility for their products and the importance of mental and moral values for a company.

 

H. J.-W:
Did Wilhelm Wagenfeld in his speech also provide suggestions for product design?

 

Fritz Eichler:
Wilhelm Wagenfeld was an exceptionally gifted artist. For him, the product quality and, connected with it, the design language were important. He provided us with a lot of suggestions. He also designed the 'combi' and parts of the 'SK 4' for Braun. But his work was artistic, the parts were difficult to manufacture and often gave Artur Braun as the one responsible for production a headache. An artist in the electrical industry – that isn't easy.

 

H.J.-W:
Yes – but you are an artist as well and you are still connected with Braun and the electrical industry.

 

Fritz Eichler (laughing):
It wasn't always easy for me as well.

 

H.J.-W:
What was actually difficult?

 

Fritz Eichler:
As I said before – we had set out on a search and there were no clear answers to the question what the devices or the advertising should look like for people with a modern lifestyle. You also asked for my contribution to this search. There is an easy answer. A good theater director talks to the actors, he develops and discards scenes, changes the stage setting, tries to retrieve suggestions from all areas of life. He is in a continuous dialog, he summarizes, he has to think about his budget and the audience – and also about the critics. I applied these principles at Braun. In addition, my artistic way of thinking – I very much like to paint myself and now that I am old it has become my fulfilling purpose in life. With Erwin I liked to go for walks, we talked about modernity, about the use of devices and in particular about quality. We talked about individual products, about which products might be needed in Germany in the future. My job at Braun was actually not so very different from my theater and film job. I was the dialog partner.

 

H. J.-W:
Mr. Eichler, there is one thing in particular after this long day I spent with you that I will remember about you: your modesty. I think that your contribution was by no means merely to be an intelligent dialog partner for Erwin Braun. After all you were the important link to Ulm, you designed the 'SK 1' and 'SK 2' with Artur Braun, which I think is gorgeous, you had decisive ideas for the kitchen machine 'KM 3', as the design department manager you headed the Braun designers such as Dieter Rams and the graphic design with Wolfgang Schmittel. Later, you were responsible for the design as a board member ...

 

Fritz Eichler interrupts
... alright, that is enough. We were talking about the important starting time, and then I primarily was a dialog partner for Erwin Braun. It was difficult enough to find a concept. It takes time; and so the Braun design – by the way, we did not talk of design then but of "Formgestaltung" (creating a form) – was developed step by step only after long teething troubles. Braun design was not to appear in our annual report in detail before 1972. It was also important to find new employees that fitted the company. Here, Erwin Braun had a basic instinct – he was able to see the skills and possibilities of people and also had the right touch to commit them to the company long-term. Furthermore, introducing something new always caused problems – people are not very happy when they have to give up their old habits and leave their old tracks. Here, somebody had to talk to and convince the employees – just like at the theater by the way. Here, I always tried to conciliate and to convince. Our corporate magazine, that engaged our Braun employees in the processes and strengthened the feeling of being a member of the team, was also important for this work.

 

H. J.-W.:
Yes, the corporate magazine is also indispensable as a source for our work in our collectors' magazine. Who was also involved in your discussions then?

 

Fritz Eichler:
All persons in responsible positions at Braun knew of the discussions and were of course involved. We often had lunch together with Erwin and Artur and discussed our questions. I think Artur was often disturbed while eating, because he always thought about how he could realize our ideas in production straight away. Developing a device for series production and then producing it with a high quality and as cost-efficient as possible is always difficult – at least more difficult than outlining a device and telling that it should look like this or that. The Braun machinery was depleted by the war and it took some time to successfully modernize production step by step with new machinery. Here, Artur Braun did a really great job.

 

H. J.-W.:
Why do you think was Braun so successful also outside Germany?

 

Fritz Eichler:
This was due to our products, due to many awards and exhibitions worldwide. But also, and this is often neglected, due to the promotion of sales through our employees. In the mid-sixties I think, guidelines for the promotion of sales were developed such as the coordination of sales and marketing, the attitude towards whole sale, about the focus on service, etc. and, important for Braun, put into practice afterward. Furthermore, it was taken as read that marketing also had to be fun and the Braun general agencies conducted country-specific measures that were as creative as possible.

 

H. J.-W:
Could you give us an example?

 

Fritz Eichler (smiling):
The country representatives in Denmark, or I think in Norway, sent out very good cognac with a 24-unit measuring tape designed by Braun as a gift before Christmas – so that with the good Christmas business you could drink some cognac each evening.

 

H. J.-W.:
You were just talking about marketing – how is marketing connected to the design?

 

Fritz Eichler:
Above all, it is important that the persons involved cooperate, meaning that they communicate. Technical development, design, sales, and marketing have to cooperate right from the beginning. The product message must be developed and translated into advertising. Advertising to us always meant to provide reports on the device and its quality that were as objective as possible. We wanted to win the customers, not persuade them, the customers should trust our products.

 

H. J.-W
Mr. Eichler – we are absolutely convinced. We have spent five hours more with you than actually planned. I can hardly take notes any more, I don't have any more questions. Thank you very, very much for this wonderful day.

 

Fritz Eichler:
Do you know what I am going to do now? Paint ...

 

"Neither can you judge design based solely on the aesthetic appearance, but only based on the purpose and the prerequisites determining the appearance."
Fritz Eichler 1)

 

 

Source:
Jatzke-Wigand, H.: A Film and Theater Director in the Electrical Industry. In: Jatzke-Wigand, H.; Klatt, J.: The Development of the Braun Design. In: Design+Design zero, Hamburg December 2011, 1. Auflage, 94-109

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