German industrial designer Luigi Colani dies at 91
dpa
KARLSRUHE, GERMANY (dpa)- German industrial designer Luigi Colani died at the age of 91 in the western city of Karlsruhe on Monday following an illness, his partner Yazhen Zhao said.
Colani's trademark was rounded organic form, which he used to create cars, including racing cars, as well as furniture, crockery, spectacles, cameras, TV sets and clothing.
"My world is round," the designer, who had a reputation as combative, said ahead of his 90th birthday in Karlsruhe, where he had retired.
Over his long career, Colani worked in Germany, Italy, Mexico, the United States, Russia, Japan and China.
His successes include the legendary Canon T90 camera, which replaced sharp edges of previous designs with smooth curves and has continued to influence the brand's designs. He went on to design for well-known furniture makers.
On the basis of his successes in the 1970s and 1980s, Colani marketed products under his own name.
He estimated the number of his designs at around 4,000, many of which remained as sketches in a drawer.
Colani was born in Berlin on August 2, 1928, studying at the city's Academy of the Arts. He went on to study aerodynamics at the Sorbonne in Paris.
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