Hannes Wettstein 1958-2008

For the past twenty years Hannes Wettstein has had a decisive influence on Swiss design while himself, however, staying very much in the background. In the night from Friday to Saturday the 50-year old designer died of cancer.
Although he successfully designed lamps, chairs and hundreds of other objects ever since the mid-Eighties, Wettstein's designs were never so prominently connected with his name as is now generally the case with contemporary designers. As a result his influence and his effect on the younger Swiss design scene have been much greater than his modesty would suggest. His approach was a pragmatic one, dedicated to the service of the users of his products, whom he preferred to provide with well thought-through everyday objects instead of burdening them with elaborate form…