Book review: Werner Aisslinger – Fast Forward

Aisslingers works can be found in the permanent collects of MoMA and Metropolitan Museum New York, Fonds National d’ARt contemporain, Vitra Design Museum and Pinakothek der Moderne.

Over 30 outstanding product design and architectures. When in the not too distant future, the first publications look back at the design of the past 20th century and the new 21st century, the work Werner Aisslinger will certainly represent a constant. Not only because of the huge success of his products. But above all due to the material and technical, the typological and conventional potential of his furniture and lights, his system developments, his small-scale architecture and interiors, in short due to the whole catalog of his interventions in contemporary design. With reference to more than 3 projects, the book shows the step change s typical of Aisslinger between self-defined experiment and precisely coordinated contract work.

It is the documentation of the studio founded in Berlin in 1933. Before that, Aisslinger worked as a freelancer for Jasper Morrison and Ron Arad in London and with Michele de Lucchi in Milan. The author Volker Albus is a renowned design journalist and professor for product design at the Staatliche H ochschule fur Gestaltung in Karlsruhe.

What synonyms do you associate with Germany? Probably, beer, cars… What about design? These days design is everywhere in our life. Germany is also not an exception. The famous interior designers approach their work with a rigorous and refined approach to quality. One of the best examples is STUDIO AISSLINGER.

Born in 1964, Werner Aisslinger lives and works in Berlin. The main office of the studio is also situated in the capital of Germany. He studied design at the Berlin University of the Arts. While studying there, he worked for Ron Arad and Jasper Morrison in London and Michele de Lucchi in Milan. In 1993 he opened “Studio Aisslinger” in Berlin which had a focus on product design, concept design and brand architecture. Werner Aisslinger was a guest lecturer at the Berlin University of the Arts in 1994 and at the Lathi Design Institute in Finland in 1997. From 1998 to 2005 he was Professor of Product Design at the Karlsruhe College of Arts and Design. Since 2006 he has been a permanent member of the committee of the Raymond Loewy Foundation and the jury for the Lucky Strike Design Awards.

Background & Realizations

As a designer, Werner Aisslinger is particularly interested in the use of the latest technologies and unusual materials which he uses in his product designs. His gel furniture range was the first of its kind. Aisslinger’s “Juli chair”, the first ever piece of furniture to be made of polyurethane integral foam, was the first German chair to be selected for the permanent collection at the MoMA in New York since 1964. He has received many design prizes for his developments, including the Compasso d’Oro and the Red Dot Award, the German Design Award and the FX Award in Great Britain.

His furniture is on show in many museums including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Fonds national d’art contemporain in Paris, die Neue Sammlung in Munich and the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany. Werner Aisslinger has been developing furniture with world-known Italian brands, including Cappellini, Zanotta, Magis and Porro or office furniture with Vitra in Switzerland. At the same time the designer works on product designs and architectural projects with brands like Interlübke, Mercedes-Benz, adidas, IC-Berlin, Marc´o Polo, Bombay Saphire, FSB, Thonet, Flötotto, Berker, Hugo Boss, Younicos i.e.

The works of the designer Werner Aisslinger cover the spectrum of experimental, artistic approaches, including industrial design and architecture. He is fond of making use of the latest technologies. Besides, is work is exhibited in the permanent collections of international museums such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the French Fonds National d´Art Contemporain in Paris, the Museum Neue Sammlung in Munich, and the Vitra Design Museum in Weil, German.

Talent is a heritage

What is more, there are some interesting facts about the principle designer himself. Werner Aisslinger has received various awards, including: Design Plus Award, Germany Compasso d’Oro Selection, Italy Bundespreis Produktdesign, Germany Blueprint 100% Design Award, London Red Dot Award, Germany Selection Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris during his career.

Talking about partnerships with the other well-known brands, it is crucial to remember our readers about with BASF acroduron the production of the hemp chair – the first monochair. This type of chair was designed with a new technology in which natural fibers like hemp that are moulded under heat with a special ecological glue resulting in a sustainable composite material. Aisslinger’s design which features soft curves, along with a horizontal and vertical ring structure, is a new approach to this complex seating typology.