The German language has a useful ability to unite ideas in a single word that somehow exceeds the capabilities of its parts. Industriekunst is one of those words. It’s translated into English as “industrial design,” but this loses the crucial senses of balance and fusion implied in the German word. Industry-art would be closer. The pioneering German industrial designers of the early 20th century perceived in this conceptual union of the practical and aesthetic a liberating force for the imagination. They felt its potency in their ability to evoke delight in functional objects. This radically simple idea has stood as a challenge to every modern designer—and a promise to every consumer—for more than a century.

Dieter Rams, head of product design for Braun from 1955 to 1997, met ...