Born on the Island of Reichenau, Germany, Ingo Maurer trained as a typographer in Germany and Switzerland and subsequently studied graphic design in Munich from 1954 to 1958.

In 1960, he left for the USA where he worked as an independent designer until 1963. In 1966 he founded Design M in Munich and presents his first lamp: Bulb.
In October 1986, he made special and original designs for the exhibition “Design a Villa Medici” in Rome. In the same year he was awarded the “Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres” prize by the French Culture Minister. Around this time he also participated in many exhibitions and was awarded important prizes. In addition, in March 1999 he collaborated with Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake for whose catwalk at La Villette (Paris) he designed special effects