LAMY Pen brand profile: German engineering, Bauhaus design

A LAMY pen is built to work perfectly. This is at the heart of why LAMY creates such fine pens and why the LAMY Safari is the most popular fountain pen in the world. We stock a huge range of LAMY at NoteMaker and so for fellow pen lovers, or those deciding in which brand to invest, we share a bit more of the story behind LAMY here on the blog.

The design of LAMY pens is underpinned by the Bauhaus Design Principle: An absence of ornamentation and a harmony between the function of an object and its design. Writing instruments from LAMY stand for “reduced and functional styling” and possess an unmistakable, modern design language. As such, a LAMY pen has to be attractive, modern but above all: Functional.

The genesis of this design-led focus began with the now classic LAMY 2000. This series, designed by Gerd A. Müller, is viewed as the perfect combination of design and functionality for more than 40 years now, using high-quality polycarbonate and stainless steel. The seamless transition of the two materials is an unequalled feature in this unique series.

 Pictured: LAMY2000

Interestingly, the company does not employ any designers itself. Instead, they focus on collaboration with acclaimed freelance designers whose product characteristics have written design history, including: Richard Sapper, Wolfgang Fabian, Andreas Haug, Franco Clivio, Hannes Wettstein, Naoto Fukasawa and the Danish designer Knud Holscher. From initial sketch through to production, these designers accept the challenge – often over years – of creating timelessly modern design for Lamy in accordance with the Bauhaus principles on products of no more than eight centimetres in length.

This means each LAMY pen truly has its own distinct design personality. The LAMY Studio, for example, was designed by Hannes Wettstein, also a renowned furniture and lighting Swiss designer. The clip design is inspired by a propeller, looking more like a modern art sculpture than a small piece of engineering designed to clip your pen.

This approach means LAMY has won more design awards than any other writing instrument brand in the world.

The LAMY range aims to have something for every type of writer and budget. The Noto, for example, retails for around $20. So as our NoteMaker pen expert sums up: “You Can have a piece of design in your pocket for just $20.”

 LAMY pen history

“Design. Made in Germany.” The LAMY slogan  sums up the two key elements of the philosophy embraced by this modern family business. Based in Heidelberg, Germany, LAMY pens are still 100% produced in Germany.

The predecessor company to LAMY, Orthos Füllfederhalter-Fabrik, was established 80 years ago in 1930 by Carl Josef Lamy. They initially made fountain pens under the brands ORTHOS and ARTUS. In 1948 the company was converted into C. Josef Lamy GmbH, which has produced the LAMY brand since 1952. The first writing instrument model bearing the name of Lamy was the streamlined LAMY 27 fountain pen.

Through the cooperation between Dr Manfred Lamy and the then young Bauhaus designer Gerd A. Müller, the unmistakable expressive style of Lamy, the Lamy design was born in 1966 with the LAMY 2000. From then on, Bauhaus design characterised the steady, further development of the brand.

Bauhaus Design Principle

The Bauhaus principle – that each product must fulfil its practical function, be durable and also have visual appeal – has top priority at Lamy.

Design should serve the purpose of increasing the utility value of Lamy writing instruments and making them more intelligent in the way they fulfil their function. Ergonomics and handling always stand in the forefront.

In the conception of a Lamy writing instrument, the design must always embrace the attributes of the product in terms of function, technology and material and implement them in an aesthetically attractive form which expresses high technical prowess and quality.

 Develop your own handwriting style with a LAMY pen

The writing characteristics of a LAMY Pen make it easier to develop an “individual style” of handwriting and to increase the pleasure of writing. As we increasingly communicate via technology, it is particularly important to encourage and preserve personal handwriting as an important character feature. Individual handwriting is an important cultural asset so LAMY attaches special importance to the design of school fountain pens like the ABC.

The LAMY ABC system for learning to write, which has both a beginner’s pencil and a beginner’s fountain pen, was specially developed in cooperation with teachers and educators for the first years at school. The special design to meet the needs of children and the ergonomically shaped grip assist natural, relaxed positioning of the fingers.

This also means LAMY wants to be your writing partner throughout your life -starting with the ABC and then progressing throughout the range to help you write beautifully forever!

Shop LAMY at NoteMaker.com.au

SOURCE:http://blog.notemaker.com.au/lamy-pen-brand-profile-bauhaus-design/