DIVERSE / KITCHEN APPLIANCES / KRUPS /
2005
In 2002 we were contacted by the French Groupe SEB to conceive a range of products for Krups. If the microwave (CHEF) for Whirlpool was all about the future, our experience with Krups was all about today: technical and cost constraints, production in China, strategic marketing. The great thing about the work for Krups is that it was for real. We were building machines with a cable and a plug on the end. They have to function and be safe. The only way to achieve this was through research and development. The process is the laboratory situation I loved: testing rigs, transformers, electric wires, nuts and bolts. The work for Krups embraced the design of a whole range of household appliances: coffee machines, blenders, mixers, toasters, kettles. We were designing a set of formal codes, used across the different product typologies, that would rebuild the brand image. In a situation like this, design becomes a strategic tool for shaping a market identity.

Project assistant: Alexander Löhr (KGID)