Luigi Colani, (born in
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
on 2 August 1928 as
Lutz Colani), is a
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
industrial designer whose father came from
MadulainMadulain is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-Geography:Madulain has an area, , of . Of this area, 33.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 14.6% is forested...
near
St. MoritzSt. Moritz is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
in
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
and mother from
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
The prime characteristic of his designs are the rounded, organic forms, which he terms "biodynamic" and claims are
ergonomicallyErgonomics is the science of designing the job, equipment, and workplace to fit the worker. Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries, which can develop over time and can lead to long-term disability....
superior to traditional designs. His "kitchen satellite" from 1969 is the most prominent example of this school of thought. Many of his designs for small appliances are being mass-produced and marketed, but his larger designs have not been built, "a whole host of futuristic concepts that will have us living in pods and driving cars so flat that leg amputation is the only option."
- The earth is round, all the heavenly bodies are round; they all move on round or elliptical orbits. This same image of circular globe-shaped mini worlds orbiting around each other follows us right down to the microcosmos. We are even aroused by round forms in species propagation related eroticism. Why should I join the straying mass who want to make everything angular? I am going to pursue Galileo Galilei's philosophy: my world is also round. — Luigi Colani
He has received numerous design awards.
Colani currently resides in
KarlsruheKarlsruhe is a city in the south west of Germany, in the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border....
, Germany.
Career timeline
1946: Studied
sculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard and/or plastic material, sound, and/or text and or light, commonly stone , metal, glass, or wood. Some sculptures are created directly by finding or carving; others are assembled, built together and fired, welded, molded,...
at the Akademie der Künste,
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
(academy of fine arts).
1948: Study of
aerodynamicsAerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...
at Université Paris-Sorbonne in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
1953: Head of New Materials project group at McDonnell-Douglas in California.
1954: Receives the
Golden RoseThe Golden Rose is a gold ornament, which popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed annually. It is occasionally conferred as a token of reverence or affection...
international prize for creation and design, in
GenevaGeneva, is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie...
, Switzerland, for special
FiatFiat S.p.A., an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli. Fiat has also...
bodywork; he is the originator of many
FiatFiat S.p.A., an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli. Fiat has also...
designs in the coming years .
1957: Colani's
Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automaker founded on June 24, 1910 in Milan. Alfa Romeo has been a part of the Fiat Group since 1986, and since February 2007 a part of Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. The company was owned by Italian state holding company Istituto per la Ricostruzione...
design is the first
sports carThe term sports car has been defined as "an open, low-built, fast motor car." The term describes a class of automobile with two seats, two doors, precise handling, brisk acceleration, and sharp braking — trading practical considerations such as passenger space, comfort, and cargo capacity...
to clock a lap of under 10 minutes at the
NürburgringThe Nürburgring, simply known as "The Ring" by enthusiasts, is a motorsport race track in Nürburg, Germany. It was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel, which is about south of Cologne, and northwest of Frankfurt...
; it can now be seen in the Martini Rosso Museum.
1958:
CatamaranA catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
racing success in Hawaii
1959: The world's first monocoque sports car:
BMW, is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company. Founded in 1916, it is known for its performance and luxury vehicles. It owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.-Company history:...
700
1960: World's first kit car in series: 1700 cars, Colani GT
1965: Worldwide success with furniture design: Asko, Fritz-Hansen, Cor, Kusch+Co.
1966: Sports coupe, IAA Frankfurt
1968: Two piece plastic cutlery for Thai airlines,
Museum of Design ZurichThe Museum of Design, Zürich is a museum for industrial design, visual communication, architecture and craft...
1970: Headquarters with major design team at Harkotten Castle near
SassenbergSassenberg is a town in the district of Warendorf, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approx. 6 km north-east of Warendorf and 30 km east of Münster....
, Germany. Enormous success, work and exhibitions worldwide for many companies of major repute.
1972: Design of
EifellandEifelland was a German Formula One team, named after German caravan manufacturer Eifelland based in Germany's Eifel mountains.Eifelland only participated in FIA Formula One World Championship in the 1972 Formula One season...
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
car. First contacts with Japanese companies. Unsuccessful design for an Olympic rowing boat
1973: First Far East study trip; Japan recognizes Colani's potential. Invitation by five companies to establish a Colani Design Center Japan.
RosenthalRosenthal is a name of German origin, meaning rose valley, and may refer to:* Rosenthal, Hesse, in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district* Rosenthal , a part of Berlin, Germany* Rosenthal, a part of Peine in Lower Saxony...
's Teapot Drop designed by Colani in Cooper-Hewitt Museum in N.Y.
1976: RFB Fanliner, the first plastic sports airplane with a Wankel rotary engine constructed
1978: Revolutionary trucks, aircraft, car and ship studies at exhibitions worldwide
1981: Fuel economy world record set by the Colani 2CV (based on the French
CitroënCitroën is a French automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA. Since 1976 it has been part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, and its headquarters is on rue Fructidor, Paris...
2CVThe Citroën 2CV was an economy car produced by the French automaker Citroën from 1949 to 1990. It was technologically advanced and innovative, but with extremely utilitarian and deceptively simple Bauhaus inspired bodywork, that belied the sheer quality of its underlying engineering...
, 1.7 litres for 100 km with the original 2CV engine and chassis.
1982: Relocation to Japan
1983: Professor in Japan/Tokyo "5 Systems" camera prototypes for Canon
1984: No. 1 industrial designer in Japan; Otaru exhibition, 60 m large shell
1985: Colani Robot Theatre most-attended at the Tokyo Tsukuba Expo. Pontresins propeller-driven airplane unveiled, having two contra-rotating coaxial pusher propellers with scimitar blades mounted in the tail. The propellers, also known as "centripetal supersonic propellers", were a new design idea. The plane was a design study and is not airworthy.
1986: Receives the Golden Camera Award for the
Canonis a multinational corporation that specialises in the manufacture of imaging and optical products, including cameras, photocopiers, steppers and computer printers. Its headquarters are located in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan.-Company milestones:...
T90The Canon T90, introduced in 1986, was the top of the line in Canon's T series of 35 mm Single-lens reflex cameras. It was the last professional-level manual-focus camera from Canon, and the last professional camera to use the Canon FD lens mount...
. Colani motorcycle world record in Italy. Foundation of the Colani Design Bern, Switzerland.
1987: Colani exhibition at
Centre Georges PompidouCentre Georges Pompidou is a complex in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais...
,
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Car design for
Mazdais a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Hiroshima, Japan.During 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
, Japan. Pen design for Pelikan A.G., Germany.
CormoranThe Colani Cormoran CCE208 was a five-seat light aircraft under development in Germany in the late 1980s. The highly-streamlined and unusual design was the work of the aeronautical engineer Walter Schulze with the collaboration of the celebrated industrial designer Luigi Colani. A particularly...
aircraft design displayed as mockup at
Paris Air ShowThe Paris Air Show is an international trade fair for the aerospace business...
1988: Toulouse and Bremen branch offices. Professor h.c. of the
University of the Arts BremenThe University of the Arts Bremen is a publicly funded university in Bremen, Germany and one of the most successful ones whose roots in music, arts and design date back to 1873...
Preparation on a widescale basis for record speed on land, water and air and economy world records in Utah, USA
1989:
Sonyis a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest media conglomerates with revenue exceeding ¥ 7.730.0 trillion, or $78.88 billion U.S. . Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game...
headphones by Colani placed in
Museum of Modern ArtMoma may refer to:* Moma , an owlet moth genus* Moma Airport, a Russian public airport* Moma District, Nampula, Mozambique* Moma River, a right tributary of the Indigirka River...
,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Formation of the company Colani Trading AG in Zürich, Switzerland
1990: Exhibition in
Centre International de l'Automobile car museum in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
; Presentation of the new
SwissairSwissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland. It was formed of a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
uniforms designed by Colani
1991: Creation of optical frames and jewelry collection; Colani
FerrariFerrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1928 as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles in 1947 as Ferrari S.p.A....
sets record at
Bonneville SpeedwayBonneville Speedway is an area of the Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah, that is marked out for motor sports. It is particularly noted as the venue for numerous land speed records....
in
UtahUtah is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80 percent of Utah's 2,736,424 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering around Salt Lake City. In contrast, vast expanses of the state are nearly uninhabited, making...
1992: Computer mouse design for Sicos; creation of the Colani cosmetics collection; Colani signs a contract with European computer chain Vobis of Germany
1993: Presentation of the Colani field glasses; Shopping center exposition through Switzerland
1994: Colani Vobis Highscreen computer gets award for the Computer of the Year 1994. Cooperation with
Carl ZeissCarl Zeiss was an optician commonly known for the company he founded, Carl Zeiss Jena . Zeiss made contributions to lens manufacturing that have aided the modern production of lenses...
Jena
1995: Cologne, Germany opens new head office of Colani's design works. Designs for major companies in the construction and building industry. China's ambassador invited Colani for future projects to Shanghai, China. Awarded Honorary professorship in the Department of architecture college of architecture and urban planning at
Tongji UniversityTongji University , colloquially known as Tongji , located in the northeast part of the Shanghai city, has more than 70,000 students and 8,008 staff members . It offers degree programs both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels...
, Shanghai
1996: Office furniture designs for Grahl, Michigan USA. Architecture project presentation for Shanghai, China, called Bio-City.
1997: Created a new piano for famous piano builder
Wilhelm SchimmelSchimmel is a German piano maker. The company was founded in 1885 in Leipzig by Wilhelm Schimmel . This company is especially popular due to their high quality concert grand pianos. In August 2009, the biggest piano maker in Germany got insolvent....
. Start of the DESIGN-show through more than 30 shopping centers in Germany.
1998: Start of a bank terminal design project with one of the world's leading computer manufacturers. Design for a new microscope and photo camera at the Colani Shanghai office. Water bottle design for Carolinen-Brunnen, Germany.
1999: Presentation of a new "shower" (bathroom-combination)-generation for the German company Dusar. Furniture project with Kusch & Co., Germany. A world leader in porcelain,
RosenthalRosenthal is a name of German origin, meaning rose valley, and may refer to:* Rosenthal, Hesse, in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district* Rosenthal , a part of Berlin, Germany* Rosenthal, a part of Peine in Lower Saxony...
, Germany, plans to promote a special edition of the famous "Drop" teapot designed by Colani.
2000: "Human-City" architecture model by MW Energie AG in Mannheim, Germany. Colani optical frames presentation at optical shows in Milan, Paris and Las Vegas.
2001: Design for a new microscope and photo camera (for Seagull) at the Colani Shanghai office. Six exhibitions through shopping malls (ECE-group) throughout Germany. COLANI-Calendar for Castrol-Germany.
2002: Leading Swiss mineral-water company Valser (acquired by Coca-Cola in 2002) presents new bottle design by Colani. Start of another exhibition-tour through over 25 shopping malls (until 2004) by ECE-Group. Opening of a world-leading museum of design, Pinakothek, in Munich, Germany (including several Colani designs). Spitzer-Silo presents new Colani truck at IAA in Hannover, Germany.
2003: Uniforms designed for the
Hamburg PoliceThe Hamburg Police is the German Landespolizei force for the city-state of Hamburg. Law enforcement in Germany is divided between federal and state agencies...
(adopted later in whole Germany). Designed the tt-62-plane for hp-aircraft.de, with over 40 units of this business jet sold already. Futuristic car design: Speedster shark (see "Visions").
2004: Guest Speaker and Presenter at World Economic Forum WEF in Davos, Switzerland. Porcelain giftware creations (Cappuccino, Espresso mugs). "Life on Board" project for
VolvoThe Volvo Group is a Swedish supplier of commercial vehicles such as trucks, buses and construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, aerospace components and financial services...
cars House design for Hanse-Haus, Germany.
2005: Design study for a passenger airplane with 1,000 seats Study for a robot shaped like a baby
Completion of a series of 140 sculptures of athletes for the Olympic Games in Beijing
Participation in the "Germany in Japan 2005-6" event in the form of the "Colani Back in Japan" exhibition in the Museum for Kunst and Design attached to the Kyoto Institute of Technology.
2006: Completion of a Colani Supertruck with extreme streamlining Colani lecture at Nancyhalle/Karlsruhe with Karim Rashid Tokyo Designers Week speech in Tokyo.
External links