Peter Behrens and AEG

Peter Behrens

The pioneer Peter Behrens was an important industrial designer in the history of design. He was an artistic advisor for AEG starting in 1907. His main responsibilities to the company were to design its whole identity including the logo. He was also designing kettles, clocks, fans and other electrical stuff for the AEG company, including its factories’ buildings. He was influenced by Jugenstil. Before he worked for AEG, he began designing modern furniture in 1898 and his furniture work was exhibited in Munich where he started to gain popularity. He started as an artist and illustrator and then became a designer and self-taught architect, who also designed the most known Turbine Factory in Berlin. Behrens was a good influence to Walter Gropius (who founded the Bauhaus) as they worked together for about three years. 

Behrens didn’t really like the idea that everything that was being mass produced has no artistic values. He still wanted to design products for mass production, but with better ideas and a touch of harmony, and because of this, the idea of mass production was changed for good. 

"Design is not about decorating functional forms - it is about creating forms that accord with the character of the object and that show new technologies to advantage." – Peter Behrens.

AEG Fan.

The AEG Company

The AEG company was one of the first to produce electronics products in Germany. It was founded by Emil Rathenau, who was an industrial designer. In 1910 the AEG company had about 10,000 workers employed.  It is a company that made huge technological progress by its constantly new inventions. It is still in business today and still very popular for its high quality products. AEG aim was to produce/creates technological products for everyone. They wanted to produce products in a way to meet people’s needs and wants, which their designs attracts everyone and no one would fear to use them because of the fact that they were something new to the society/world.

This image explains well how the AEG logo developed through the years.
(Including Behrens logos for the AEG)

Advances in the AEG Company

As said before, AEG is still producing electronic products, mostly household items. The kettle below [Figure 1] is a result of the progression there was from the beginning till now, which contrasts a lot from the old kettle that Behrens had designed to the ones which are being designed today. Comparing the two kettles; they still kept the same idea to create products functional and the new kettle [Figure 1] shows the progress in design and technology. It is very practical and efficient to use as it boils a cup of water in just a minute.
The electric kettle designed by Behrens [Figure 2], was considered to be very slow to boil water. It is said that it boils water slower than a kettle on a stove with gas. The materials are also of huge differences and improvement of how they changed their use. This comparison counts to other products as well, as every product has gone through advances in the AEG company and also goes for any other electrical companies today. 

[Figure 2] Electric Kettle by Peter Behrens (1909)

[Figure 1] New AEG Kettle

References:

Rory Stott, 2016. Spotlight: Peter Behrens [online] Available at: http://www.archdaily.com/619290/spotlight-peter-behrens [Accessed 21 May 2016].

MoMA, n.d Peter Behrens. Electric Kettle. 1909. [online] Available at: http://www.moma.org/collection/works/2190?locale=en. [Accessed 21 May 2016].

Which?, n.d. AEG 7 Series EWA7800 kettle overview [online] Available at: http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/kettles/aeg-7-series-ewa7800. [Accessed 21 May 2016].

AEG, n.d. The father of industral design [online] Available at: http://www.aeg.com/en/About-AEG/History/ [Accessed 21 May 2016].

Hauffe, T., 1998, Design A Concise History. London: Laurence King Publishing.

Fiell C. and Fiell P., 2015. Design of the 20th Century. Köln: Taschen.