German industrial designer Dieter Rams joined Braun in 1955 and was Chief Design Officer from 1961 until 1995. His designs for Braun were crafted in an analytical/rationalist approach – they demonstrate an orderly treatment of form and materials. Rams has spoken of his desire to present a product's function clearly and communicate a sense of purity in form.

These elements are echoed in the work of English designer Sir Jonathan Ive. Since 2000 Ive's designs for Apple display a strong resemblance to Rams' in the treatment of form, finish and materials, particularly the Braun products designed by Rams in the 1950s and 1960s. Ive describes part of his design methodology as the task of removing elements vying for a user's attention.