Hans Ehrich
Hans Ehrich ( born September 25, 1942 in Helsinki) is a Swedish product designer. Together with his partner Tom Ahlström he founded in 1968, the Swedish design company A & E Design, a company that Ehrich (2014) still heads today. Internationally, Ehrich of the leading industrial designers of Sweden and is called the " grand seigneur " in the Swedish product design. Ehrich is domiciled in Stockholm and Berlin.
Youth and Education
Hans Ehrichs mother was the Swede Israel -Karin Sundberg and his father was the German artist Otto Ehrich. After the emigration to Finland in 1936 the son Hans was born in 1942 in Helsinki. According to Finnish Continuation War the family fled to Sweden in 1944.
Ehrich received his schooling in Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Italy. His high school, he graduated from the Scuola Germanica di Roma. In early sketches from the youth Ehrich showed his talent as a skilled draftsman. As a 16 -year-old he made, for example, the interior study of a convertible with ergonomically designed seats, headrests and split rear bench seat.
From 1962 to 1967 he studied at the Konstfackskolan ( Swedish for Art School ), an art school in Stockholm, founded, Swedish 1844. During his studies he went on study trips to Milan and Turin, where he met with the Italian industrial designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. Giugiaro Ehrich offered a job at the newly founded Italdesign. However, the offer is not accepted Ehrich. The study visit in Turin but resulted in a long line of car studies, including a two-door sports coupe and a " 2.5 Litre GranTurismo Convertible ".
Ehrichs car interest was also reflected in his thesis. These were a three -seater electric car for city driving, called " Optima", which he developed together with the study comrades Roland Lindhé. Optimas self-supporting body should be made of plastic, airless, foam-filled rubber tires, belts and a soft molded, shock -absorbing interior had. Optima aroused sensation and although the car of the future existed only in model form, were inquiries from prospective buyers even from the USA. Optima got the first prize in Ford's design competition was presented in Munich in 1967.
His future partner, Tom Ahlström, Ehrich learned on the Konstfackskolan know. Ahlström completed his studies in 1968, a year after Ehrich. Then both decided to start his own design company called A & E Design.
Work
A & E Designs first assignment was a paint brush with grip-friendly shaft made of polypropylene. The customer was satisfied and the brush was a sales success. That was the beginning of the design of a long line of products from various plastics, made in different techniques.
A & E design was quickly outside of Sweden announced and awarded for a variety of products, such as for washing brush, which was developed in 1975 for the Norwegian company Jordan A / S and is still produced, by the year 2008 more than 80 million copies. Ahlström and Ehrich specialized early on in the design of aids for the disabled, such as the shower and toilet chair Clean for hospitals and nursing homes.
Known worldwide was also waiting numbering system M80 with number display for AB Turn-O -Matic, the order brought in queues. Another successful product was of folding stool Stockholm II, which was originally designed for the National Museum in Stockholm and is now valued by museum visitors. By 2012, the folding stool Stockholm II is available worldwide in over 1000 museums.
The Parts washing brush and the number system M80 are included in the permanent design exhibition at the Stockholm National Museum and Stockholm II folding stool is found in the design collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich. The international successes have helped Hans Ehrich is on the jury of the prestigious Red Dot Design Award since 2002.