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Dornbracht designs and manufactures high-end fittings for bathrooms and kitchens, combining architectural thinking with precise engineering. At the time, product photography on black backgrounds was still the prevailing standard across the industry, particularly in the luxury and premium segment. It had become a visual shorthand for value and exclusivity, but also a limitation. A new way of staging the products was needed.

In response, a new visual language was developed and realised in collaboration with Studio Johannes Bauer. Moving away from black backgrounds, the photography is defined by colour, atmosphere, and ambient light, placing the products within a more spatial and sensory context and allowing materiality, proportion, and surface quality to come to the fore.

Complementing this photographic approach, a Design Principles film explores a different visual register. The film adopts an almost rendering-like aesthetic, while being captured with real cameras mounted on robotic arms. This setup enables highly controlled, precise movements while preserving the physical presence of the objects — the way high-end materials react to light, the exactness of craftsmanship, and the distinct character and charisma of each product. Together, photography and film articulate Dornbracht’s core design principles: proportion, precision, progressiveness, performance, and personality, reinforcing the brand’s enduring aesthetic confidence.