Robert Brunner

Robert Brunner, born in 1958, is an American industrial designer with a career spanning over three decades. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design from San José State University in 1981. Early in his career, after working as a designer and project manager at various high-technology companies, Brunner co-founded Lunar Design in 1984. His trajectory included a significant role at Apple Computer, where he served as the Director of Industrial Design from 1989 to 1996, establishing the pioneering internal corporate design organization, Apple IDg. This period saw him providing design and direction for all Apple product lines, including the PowerBook. Brunner claims to have hired Jonathan Ive three times during his tenure at Apple, highlighting his instrumental role in building the company’s design capabilities.

Following his impactful time at Apple, Brunner became a partner at Pentagram’s San Francisco office in January 1996, leading brand consulting and industrial design programs for Fortune 500 companies. In 2006, he partnered with Alex Siow to launch Fuego, an outdoor grill design firm, and designed the Arc Collection of modern range-hoods for Zephyr Ventilation. A pivotal career move occurred in mid-2007 when he left Pentagram to establish Ammunition Design Group. At Ammunition, Brunner has continued to focus on communicating ideas through products and experiences, a philosophy that has guided numerous brand-defining designs. His firm expanded significantly in 2008 with the addition of former MetaDesign leaders Brett Wickens and Matt Rolandson as partners.

One of Brunner’s most widely recognized achievements is his collaboration with Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, starting in 2008, to launch Beats by Dre. He is credited with the design of the company’s entire range of headphones and speakers, including products like Beats Studio, Powerbeats, Mixr, Solo, Solo Pro, and the Pill wireless speaker. His design work has earned 23 IDSA Awards from the Industrial Designers Society of America and Business Week, with 6 best-of-category awards. Robert Brunner’s creations are featured in the permanent design collections of prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and San Francisco, the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. He is also the co-author of the book “Do You Matter? How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company” and has been recognized as one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business.”