In Memory of Hans “Nick” Roericht

In the aftermath of WWII, a new generation of designers in Germany sought not just to rebuild objects — but to rebuild how we live. In those years of quiet determination, clarity and function became more than ideals; they became a necessity. It was in this moment of re-imagining that the seeds for a new design ethos were planted: sober, rational, human-centred. It was here that a new understanding of form, responsibility, and modernity was forged.

Into this world stepped Hans “Nick” Roericht. As a student at Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm (HfG Ulm) between 1955 and 1959, he absorbed the spirit of renewal around him — not as a dogma, but as a challenge to rethink everyday life. In 1959, his diploma project, the now-iconic stacking tableware set TC 100, distilled that spirit into objects of quiet logic and enduring utility. Simple, modular, and dignified — the TC 100 would go on to be recognized as a design classic, entering the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

Roericht’s career after Ulm was shaped by the same dedication to clarity and purpose. Collaborating with notable contemporaries like Otl Aicher, he contributed to seminal projects — among them the design work for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

From 1973 until his retirement in 2002, he served as professor of industrial design at Hochschule der Künste Berlin, shaping how design is taught — merging theory and practice, aesthetics and social responsibility, craftsmanship and human context.

What Hans “Nick” Roericht leaves behind is more than objects and teaching — it is a worldview. A belief that design is not decoration, but a “holistic problem-solving instrument,” sensitive to human needs, ecological realities, and everyday life. On 8 December 2025, at the age of 93, we lost this gentle pioneer of modern design. May his legacy remain alive — every time we set a table, sit in a well-designed chair, or thoughtfully design a space for living.