Exploring the 10 design principles through the LE range
Does the reimagined LE series stay true to Dieter Rams’ design principles?
Braun classics and Dieter Rams’ influence on them remain iconic to this day. The products are among the most sought-after audio collectibles in the world. In the early design stages of the new range, we knew that the legacy wasn’t an easy one to carry forward. That’s why we chose to look to Dieter Rams’ design principles for inspiration.
1. Good design is innovative.
Every speaker in the range was engineered to feature a dedicated privacy button, which upon push physically disconnetcts the integrated microphones to ensure voice control is always on your terms. TalkToTM by DSP Concepts applies Multichannel Acoustic Echo Canceller (AEC) software to cancel out sound from external sources so the microphones can accurately hear the user’s voice. Custom-made woofers and passive radiators work effectively with Balanced Mode Radiators (BMRs), which uniquely combine vertical and horizontal dispersion for a 180-degree stage, to deliver truly room-filling performance.
2. Good design makes a product useful.
Designed to enhance the everyday audio experience in the home, the LE series offers premium sound for listening to music, podcasts, the radio and audio books while relaxing or keeping busy around the house. For simple operation, users have control options via app, voice assistant or the traditional on-device button interface. Thanks to the multi room functionality and the option to wirelessly stereo-pair your LE speakers, you can outfit your whole house with extraordinary Braun sound.
3. Good design is aesthetic.
The products have a clean build with a sleek front panel to complement every interior. We opted for neutral black and white shades as the base and added subtle hues of colour to indicate speaker activity. The black LEs are stripped down to their essence, bold without being intrusive to your home decor. The white speakers in their minimalist execution exhibit the perfect interplay of light and dark.
4. Good design makes a product understandable.
Something Braun has always mastered is giving their products a straight-forward structure. Take the physical control layout of any of the LEs. Each assigned a clear purpose, every button is unobtrusive in its representation – bar the privacy switch, which indicates on/off status per green and orange colour coding for maximum approachability. Looking at the speaker, it communicates its functions to you. And thanks to the voice assistant integration, the product even understands you too.
5. Good design is unobtrusive.
Occupying a bold and yet subtle appearance, the speakers fit seamlessly into every interior. Blending in is what makes them stand out, but their visual function is entirely up to you! Highlight your LE as a statement piece on a prominent table or shelf in your home or have it fuse with the background setting to maintain an even-looking living space in either scenario.
6. Good design is honest.
Extensive literature is supplied with the products to make features and operation as transparent as possible. The speakers don’t hide the fact that they cannot be used network-independently, and we offer dedicated Braun Audio floor stands to optimise cable management.
7. Good design is long-lasting.
The LE range is built to last. In today’s throwaway society, the speakers maintain a classic look so that they’re not particularly fashionable but rather timeless in their execution. Made to stand the test of time, the series avoids the risk of becoming outdated. Underlining this important principle, our Limited Edition Anniversary LE03 comes with an extended 5-year warranty.
8. Good design is thorough down to the last detail.
Our design process is very exact. Every integration, on or inside the speaker, was carefully considered and calculated. There are no random elements, nothing that isn’t needed or doesn’t have a clear purpose.
9. Good design is environmentally-friendly.
Our approach of ‘good design for a better future’ is in line with our company policy on sustainability. Aware that e-waste and discarded electronics are a huge challenge for manufacturers, we believe in the repairability of a product. Giving an item longevity as a fundemental characteristic is a crucial instrument to curbing ecological impact. And when the time for disposal does come, recycling devices through a regulated service ensures that most elements find a new purpose, while others are thrown out safely.
10. Good design is as little design as possible.
By keeping things simple, we vouch for their authenticity. Neutral colours, unobtrusive shapes, minimalist accessories – treating these guiding concepts as absolutes in the design process results in natural everyday applicability. As Dieter Rams succinctly put it, ‘Indifference towards people and the reality in which they live is actually the one and only cardinal sin in design.
Read more about the 10 principles for good design by Dieter Rams.
