Arzberg – The design brand

The Arzberg brand is synonymous worldwide with good design. What is good design? Aesthetics, functionality and durability: Arzberg!

Arzberg porcelain reflects good design always and everywhere. In the home, in international hotels and restaurants and even in the Museum of Modern Arts in New York.

The history of the Arzberg brand dates back to 1887. Which may be a coincidence or not, it was in this same year that Great Britain introduced product labelling through the “Merchandise Marks Act” which was intended to protect the British economy against the competition posed by low cost imports. But “Made in Germany” soon established itself as a seal of quality for German products. And that’s still the case today.

It’s no coincidence, though, that Arzberg porcelain is produced exclusively in Germany. Because a clear commitment to the quality of the “Made in Germany” brand forms a permanent part of the corporate philosophy of Arzberg-Porzellan GmbH, which has its headquarters in Schirnding in the state of Bavaria in southern Germany.

It all started with the now legendary “Form 1382” designed by Dr. Hermann Gretsch in 1931. The design revolutionized the porcelain market at the time. It was simple, functional, modern but not a fashion item. The design hasn’t been altered since, and even today has lost none of its fascination. The “Form 1382” is one of the absolute classics of modern industrial design, and is even on display in the Museum of Modern Arts in New York as one of very few porcelain designs there.

Since that time, a number of well known designers have accompanied Arzberg on the road to “good design”. Here are just a few of the successful designs and their designers: in 1954, Heinrich Löffelhardt created the “2000” design which has also been used to serve guests at the federal chancellery. Michael Sieger and the “TRIC” design, Hans-Wilhelm Seitz designed the “Cucina” and “Move” ranges, or there’s Prof. Peter Schmidt, an honorary doctor, and his “2006” design which has been crowned with five prestigious design awards.
The latest Arzberg design, the “Gourmet”, again impressively underlines the company’s exceptional design expertise. With the “Gourmet” range, innovative design meets the new art of cooking and indulgence. This design by Arzberg’s chief designer Heike Philipp has already won three coveted awards: the “Good Design Award”, the most prestigious design award in Japan, the “iF” seal for excellent design and the “Design Plus Ambiente 2009” rating.

High quality without compromise is accorded the greatest importance at Arzberg-Porzellan GmbH. So it’s a given that we invest in continuous modernisation of the production facilities in Schirnding. Managing partner and joint owner Helmut Sättler comments: “We believe in Germany as a location, and of course we have to be better than our competitors who are manufacturing in countries with low salary costs. We can to achieve higher prices for our porcelain because of the added value that design and premium quality deliver.” This is what secures the jobs of the some 240 people employed in Schirnding.

“It takes a hundred hands to produce porcelain” – so say the “porcelain creators”.So the state-of-the-art technical expertise coupled with experience, and the artisan skills of the workers, which boils down to a love for porcelain, are reflected in every single individual piece of porcelain. A different kind of porcelain, called “Arzberg”.