Reinhart Butter

butter.1@osu.edu

614 292.2026
FAX: 292.0217

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Reinhart Butter

Professor, Department of Design

Areas of Expertise
• Product ergonomics and semantics
• Product planning and development

Professor Butter has 35 years of teaching, research, and professional expertise in both the United States and Germany, ranging from vehicles and transportation, medical and therapeutic, entertainment and communication, education and learning, tools and machinery, to consumer products and toys.
Since joining the Ohio State University in 1967, he has been instrumental in curriculum development of the undergaduate and graduate program in Design, has extensively guest lectured both nationally and internationally, as well as co-organized and conducted workshops and conferences, e.g. at the UIAH in Helsinki, Finland. At OSU, Professor Butter initiated and supervised funded student projects for companies such as Borg-Warner Chemicals, ASC Colamco, IBM Systems, Kone Elevators, Mercedes-Unimong, Siemens, Wilsonart, Timex, Ford Research, and Airbus Industries. His contract research included clients such as Freightliner, GE Plastics, Sears Manufacturing, Mercedes-Benz, Isringhausen, and Lucanus in Germany.

As design consultant, Professor Butter specializes in the application of product ergonomics and semantics, most currently to medical devices and systems for a number of companies in California. His design work for the Korean companies Fursys and Iloom recently earned him seven design awards in Asia and Europe.

Education
• Post graduate studies, Royal College of Art, London
• Graduate and undergraduate degrees, Ulm School of Design, W. Germany