Philosophy

Simple is the most difficult.

Every product, every design, every service is one-of-a-kind and has to be inimitable. This is our ambition in our work. We bring uniqueness to light. Design serves to attract attention and communicate a product’s essence in a way that is compelling, clear, and recognizable for the target group. This is indispensable for success.

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” – Albert Einstein

References

Strong brands. Collaboration as partners.
Successful results.

  • A Alfi · Allibert · Asahikawa Furniture Cooperative
  • B Bad Pyrmonter Mineralbrunnen · Berndes · Birkel · Bodum · Bredemeijer
  • C Carl Mertens · Clifford Chance Pünder · Club English Tea/Twinings · Commerz Grundbesitz
  • D Deutsche Bahn · Deutsche Bank · Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft · Deutsche Rockwool · Deutscher Designer Club · Dr. Scheller
  • E Eckes · Ellen Betrix Cosmetic · Emform · Erdal
  • G Gillette · Glaskunst Lauscha
  • H Halle Münsterland · Heinrich Kopp GmbH · Henkel · Hewi · Hoechst AG · Hotel im Wasserturm
  • J Jacobs-Suchard-Gruppe · Jade Cosmetic · Junita Fruchtsaft
  • K Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur KPM
  • L L‘Oréal · Lidl & Schwarz Warenhandel · Lufthansa Flight Training Center
  • M Maggi · Manhattan Cosmetics · Mattel · Mercantile · Merck · Mitheis Austria · Moët & Chandon · Mono Tischkultur · Montblanc
  • N Nestlé Deutschland · New Lifestyles Japan
  • P Philip Morris · Plaudo Italia · Pünder Volhard Weber & Axster
  • R Rhône-Poulenc · Ritzenhoff · Rosenthal
  • S Salomon France · Schlumberger · Scholl-Werke · Schott-Zwiesel · Seagram · SKF · Spring Schweiz
  • T Tobu Japan · Topdeq · Troika Böll
  • V Vereinigte Papierwerke · Verkehrsamt Stadt Frankfurt am Main · Vileda · Villeroy & Boch
  • W Wega Radio GmbH · Wella · Werner & Mertz · Woolworth Deutschland

Guest lectureships

  • 1988 Guest lecturer for Packaging Design at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences.
  • 1991 Guest lecturer for Product Design at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Lisbon.
  • 1999 Guest lecturer in Design History at the Academy of Fine Arts in Nuremberg.
  • 2004 Guest professorship for Product Design at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou.
  • 2005/2006 Deputy professor for Industrial Design at Kunsthochschule Kassel college of fine arts.

Museums

  • Design Center Stuttgart
  • Design exhibition in Moscow, Design Council
  • Grassi Museum of Applied Arts in Leipzig
  • Museum August Kestner in Hanover
  • Grassi Museum, Leipzig
  • Museum of Applied Arts in Frankfurt
  • Hamburg Museum of Decorative Arts
  • Die Neue Sammlung at the State Museum for Applied Arts in Munich
  • East Frisian Tea Museum
  • Baroness von Diepholz Foundation in Norden
  • State Art Collections in Kassel
  • Permanent collection at the Cologne Museum of Applied Art
  • Boilerhouse Project at Victoria and Albert Museum London
  • Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum New York
  • Corning Museum of Glass New York Korea Exhibition Center Seoul
  • Philadelphia Museum of Art
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York
  • The Museum of Modern Art New York

Exhibitions

  • 1995 “Design and Innovation – Tassilo von Grolman” exhibition in Bremen
  • 1997 Joint exhibition at the Tobu Design Department in Tokyo with Michele de Lucchi, Ole Palsby, Timo Sarpaneva, Motomi Kawakami, and Kathrin McCoy
  • 2001 “25 years of Acculturation – Tassilo von Grolman Design – photographed by Anja Conrad” exhibition at the Darmstadt Design House at Mathildenhöhe and Thuringia Design Center in Weimar
  • 2005 “Rethinking form – design products by Tassilo von Grolman” at the Grassi Museum of Applied Arts in Leipzig.
  • 2009 Tassilo von Grolman “Arena Design” at the International Fair in Poznań, Poland.

Awards

MONO TEA 1 TEAPOT:

  • Selected for “Form” exhibition at Frankfurt Autumn Trade Fair in 1984
  • Haus Industrieform Essen in 1984

ALLIDRY HAIRDRYER:

  • Haus Industrieform Essen in 1984

CITY OF FRANKFURT AM MAIN “GREEN SAUCE” GIVEAWAY:

  • ADC Gold, 1987

TASSILO VON GROLMAN CHRISTMAS CARD DESIGN:

  • ADC Award, 1988

ALFI ACHAT GROOVED VACUUM JUG:

  • Red Dot Design Award, 1991
  • Busse Longlife Design Award, 2000

MARLBORO DESIGN PROMOTIONAL AWARD

  • DDC Silver, 1992

MARLBORO DESIGN SHOP:

  • DDC Award, 1992

MONO FILIO TEAPOT:

  • if Industrie Forum Design Hanover, 1993
  • Design Plus Frankfurt Fair Award, 1993
  • ADEX USA Platinum Award for Design Excellence, 2010

MONO FILIO WARMER:

  • if Industrie Forum Design Hanover, 1993
  • Design Plus Frankfurt Fair Award, 1993

CHRISTMAS TREE CARD FOR UNICEF:

  • Unicef 1993

ALFI BIG MAMA VACUUM JUG:

  • Design Zentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen, 1993
  • Selected for special exhibition “Form” 1993
  • The Chicago Athenaeum 1995
  • DDC Bronze Award, 1995

GERMAN DESIGN BOOK 1 – GERMAN DESIGNERS CLUB:

  • ADC Award 1994

SPRING COMPACT GLI:

  • Design Plus 1993
  • Vereniging Het Kookgilde in the Netherlands, 1994

MONO CAFINO/CAFINERO COFFEE MAKER:

  • Selected for special exhibition “Form” 1993
  • Steel Innovation Award, 1994
  • if Industrie Forum Design Hanover, 1994
  • DDC Award, 1995
  • The Chicago Athenaeum 1996

TASSILO VON GROLMAN DESIGN COMPANY BROCHURE:

  • ADC Award 1994
  • European Regional Design Annual 1995

KRÜMELMONSTER BREAD BIN FOR MITHEIS:

  • Design Plus Frankfurt Fair, 1994
  • DDC Silver, 1995

ALFI HOTEL DESIGN VACUUM JUG:

  • DDC Silver, 1995

TEA CADDY FOR TWININGS TEA:

  • DDC Silver 1995

ALFI CHANGE VACUUM JUG:

  • German Trade Association for Synthetic Consumer Goods, 1996

TROIKA SANCHO CIGAR ASHTRAY:

  • The Chicago Athenaeum, 1999

MOËT & CHANDON CHAMPAGNE COOLER:

  • DDC Award, 2001

ALFI CLASSICO VACUUM JUG:

  • Red Dot Design Award, 2005

BREDEMEIJER SATURN TEAPOT:

  • The Chicago Athenaeum, 2004
  • DDC Bronze, 2004
  • LifeCare Initiative Kitchen Innovation Award, 2010

MONO ELLIPSE TEAPOT:

  • DDC Silver, 2011
  • The Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award 2011
  • In 2013: Winner German Design Award

SPRING INTERNATIONAL:

  • Red Dot Design Award – Winner 2012

Vita

  • 1942 Born in Iserlohn, Germany.
  • 1959–1962 Trained as a mechanic at AEG Oldenburg.
  • 1962 Started course in mechanical engineering at the Technical Institute in Lage, Germany.
  • 1965–1966 Took a break from his studies to work for the Hamburg-Süd shipping company for about a year as an engineering assistant. Based in Bremen with stays in New York, Melbourne, Los Angeles, and many other locations.
  • 1967–1968 Continued and completed degree in mechanical engineering at the State Technical School in Berlin. Began studying industrial design at the State Academy for Technical Art and Fashion in Berlin. Continued his studies at the Technical Art College in Kassel, now known as the Kunsthochschule college of fine arts, from 1968 onwards. Served as an assistant to Prof. Arnold Bode in the area of exhibition planning starting in 1970.
  • 1972 Completed his studies with a degree in Industrial Design. Employed by Wolfgang Bader architectural firm in Frankfurt am Main.
  • 1973–1975 Worked as a designer at the TBWA and Lürzer, Conrad advertising agencies in Frankfurt am Main.
  • 1975 Founded own design studio in Frankfurt.
  • 1982 Moved his company’s offices to Oberursel (Taunus), Germany.
  • 1984–1997 Member of the jury for the German Trade Association for Synthetic Consumer Goods.
  • 1985–1996 Member of the Board for the German Association of Craftsmen in Hesse.
  • 1986–1997 Member of the jury of the German Art Directors Club.
  • 1989 German Designers Club (DDC) founded; served as president until 1997 and honorary president since that time.
  • 1991 Member of the jury for “Design Arena Lights” for Zuhause magazine.
  • 2003 Chairman of the Darmstadt Design House in Hesse until 2010.
  • 2006 Co-founded “Fidius Faire Designwettbewerbe,” an association promoting greater fairness in conditions at competitions.
  • 2011 Moved his company’s offices to Berlin.

Consultancies

DEUTSCHE BANK BRANCH NETWORK
Implementing and coordinating the exhibitions “Mini computers for your company, too,” with SMEs as the target group. “Price-conscious construction,” aimed at private builders.

MARLBORO DESIGN SPONSORSHIP AWARD
This award for up-and-coming designers gave talented young individuals an international forum.
Provided advice on organizing the competition as well as the concept, design, and implementation of exhibitions at the national and international level.

SEAGRAM/MUMM COMPANY INTERNATIONAL DESIGN WORKSHOP
“DRINKING SPARKLING WINE IN 2000”
Designed, implemented, and coordinated the events.
Participating designers: Anna Castelli-Ferrieri, Eva Jiricna, Bibs Hosak-Robb, Alessandro Mendini, Aldo Cibic, Massimo Iosa-Ghini, Ginbande, Kunstflug, Rolf Heide, Dieter Sieger.

BANK FÜR GEMEINWIRTSCHAFT (BfG)
“BfG Goes Retail.” Design and consulting for the bank’s new sales channels.

TOBU DESIGN DEPARTMENT, TOKYO
Product scouting for design products on the German market.

NESTLÉ DEUTSCHLAND MAGGI GMBH
Coordinated and managed Maggi Edition, a juried event.

“GOOD DESIGN” COMPETITIONS FOR THE GERMAN DESIGNERS CLUB (DDC) IN 1990–1997.
Organized, coordinated, and implemented competitions.