D5 Slide Projector and Spot Light by Dieter Rams for Braun, 1960s

About This Piece

Vintage Design

At the age of 30, Dieter Rams designed this D5 Combiscope device for BRAUN in Kronberg. This small slide projector made of matte, shimmering melamine in light gray has a second function that is extremely easy to use: the lens can be pulled out and the incidence of light focused to create a reflection in the room. Thanks to the beveled housing, higher-lying areas can also be illuminated. When in use, a small fan switches on inside to cool the lamp. Basically, this device shows the radical consistency of the design at BRAUN from that time. Formally reduced to the utmost, the object is designed down to the last detail, even the nameplate is designed in a proprietary Braun font.

with few signs of wear. In the meantime, the small D 5 projector is rarely seen. Our melamine housing has no cracks or defects. The function is fully given, the incidence of light can be focused by pulling out the lens.

Melamine light gray, melamine green, aluminum, melamine black, light gray original connection cable and plug.

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Creator	Dieter Rams
Manufacturer	Braun, Kronberg
Design Period	1960 to 1969
Year
Production Period	Unknown, 1960 to 1969
Country of Manufacture	Germany
Identifying Marks	This piece has an attribution mark
Style	Mid-Century, Minimalist, Modernist
Detailed Condition	Very Good — This vintage item has no defects, but it may show slight traces of use.
Restoration and Damage Details	Light wear consistent with age and use, Patina consistent with age and use
Product Code	LOB-1219492
Materials	Melamine
Color	White
Width	20 cm 20 cm
Depth	16 cm 16 cm
Height	18 cm 18 cm

Shipping & Delivery

Ships from	Germany
Returns	Returns accepted within fourteen days of delivery, except for Made-to-order items
Carbon Neutral	For every purchase made, Pamono offsets 100% of estimated carbon emissions from global shipping.

Delivery Details

Delivery will be completed by a parcel service such as UPS, DHL, or FedEx.
You will receive a tracking number to monitor the status of your shipment.
Delivery will take place between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection.
Item will be left in its packaging after delivery.
A signature will be required upon delivery.

*Important Note

Please examine the packaging upon delivery. In the event that there are visible signs of damaged packaging, please indicate the problem on the Delivery Note, take pictures, and—if the item inside shows damages—contact us within 48 hours of delivery. A signed delivery receipt without notations regarding damaged packaging represents your acceptance of the completed order in perfect condition.

About the Creator

Dieter Rams

Industrial designer Dieter Rams was born in 1932 in Wiesbaden, Germany. During his formative years, he was greatly influenced by his grandfather who was a carpenter, and at the age of sixteen, he started a three-year carpentry apprenticeship. He went on to study interior design and architecture at Wiesbaden School of Art, graduating in 1953. His role models included many pioneers of modernism, like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius, and in the early 1950s, Rams worked on projects for Frankfurt architect Otto Apel and American architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Impressed with his passion for carpentry and architecture, Braun hired Rams as an interiors architect in 1955. His task was to modernize the company’s interiors, but he soon developed an interest in product design. By 1962, Rams was Braun’s Director of Design.

Rams also worked closely with furniture manufacturer Vitsœ (formerly known as Vitsœ+Zapf) to design a collection that included the 606 Universal Shelving System (1960)—the first track-based, wall-mounted storage system with interchangeable units—and the 620 Chair Programme and 621 Table (1962). In 1961, Rams was appointed Vitsœ’s head of design, a position he maintained until 1995.

Rams was a protégé of the Ulm Design School—founded as a successor to the Bauhaus—along with fellow designers Hans Gugelot (1920-65), Fritz Eichler (1887-1971), and Otl Aicher (1922-91). Together they created many industry standards, including the SK4 Radio and Record Player (1956), Atelier 1 Hi-Fi System and L1 Loud Speakers, Audio 1 Series (1962), TG60 Tape Recorder (1963), and L450 Loudspeaker (1963).

Rams describes his minimalist, ecologically minded design aesthetic as “less, but better.” He is celebrated today as one of the most influential designers of the 20th century and noted for his austere, rationalist approach to design, typified by a spare, geometric formal vocabulary. Rams’s list of ten principles for “good design” is still considered relevant today, and it is taught in design schools around the world.

Rams was awarded the Lucky Strike Designer Award in 2007 and the Kölner Klopfer prize (also known as the Cologne Thumper award) in 2010 by the Cologne International School of Design. Many of his designs are featured in museum collections, and his Less and More exhibition—which features his landmark designs for both Braun and Vitsœ—appeared at London’s Design Museum, Frankfurt’s Museum Angewandte Kunst, and San Francisco’s MoMA.

Rams retired from Braun in 1997, but he continues to design for Vitsœ today. He lives in Frankfurt.

* With thanks to Vitsoe for images