Ideo opens office in Germany

International product design consultancy Ideo is opening its first German studio to serve its base of industrial clients in southern Germany, at the end of February. The Munich office will be headed by industrial designers Roby Stancel and Leif Huff, who both joined Ideo in 1994. It will recruit two or three designers immediately, with plans to take on 10 people by the end of the year.

Bavaria is the centre for many of Ideo’s core clients in the manufacturing industries, including BMW, Nestlé, Steelcase and Webasto, says Stancel. It also boasts a high concentration of start-ups. “We hope Ideo’s philosophy will complement the traditional expertise of German companies,” he adds.

Stancel expects growth areas in Munich to be the design of smart appliances, consumer electronics, automotive, medical and sports goods.

The Munich set up joins Ideo offices in Palo Alto, San Francisco, Chicago, Grand Rapids, Boston, Boulder and Tokyo, and an affiliate studio in Tel Aviv.