This article forms part of the Decorative and Applied Arts Encyclopedia, a master reference hub providing a structured overview of design history, materials, movements, and practitioners.
Hartmut Esslinger (b.1945) is a German industrial Designer.
Education
He studied electrical engineering at the University of Stuttgart and Industrial Design at the College of Design.
Biography
In 1969, Esslinger established frogdesign in Altensteig, an industrial design consultancy whose first client was Wega Radio; became involved in the Japanese market when Wega was bought by Sony. Wega Radio’s 1978 Concept 51K hi-fi was notable for its sleekness. In 1982, frogdesign opened a branch in California, with clients including Apple Computer, NeXT, Olympus, AT&T, AEG, and other Silicon Valley firms. He subsequently, established an office in Taiwan.
Clients in Europe included Konig und Neurath (office furniture), Villeroy et Boch, Rosenthal, and Erco. Esslinger’s design work incorporated Functionalist forms with colorful Post- Modern influences, and was a mixture of the approaches of Dieter Rams and Ettore Sottsass, with an emphasis on the former. The studio established its own design award, the ‘frogjunior.’
Sources
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL
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