Margarete Jahny was born in Mittenwalde in 1923 and studied graphic and ceramic design at the Dresden Art Academy from 1948 to 1953. She completed her studies with a diploma in ceramics. During her studies in Dresden, she also attended courses by Marianne Brandt and the architect Mart Stam. She worked primarily as a designer at the Institute of Applied Arts in Berlin and, together with Erich Müller, designed the “Rationell” coffee set, which is known and used throughout the GDR and is also known as Mitropa tableware. She was also active in the Office for Industrial Design and held a teaching position at the Weißensee Art Academy until 1983.

During her career, Jahny produced numerous designs, especially in the field of ceramics. However, she was also active as a painter for a time and devoted herself to other areas of design art, although ceramics represent the dominant field of activity in her work. Many of her works were also published in the magazine “Form+Zweck”, which was the only specialist magazine for industrial form design in the GDR. Based on her oeuvre, she is considered one of the most influential designers of the former GDR.

She died in 2016 at the age of 93.