So who is Dieter Rams? I know who he is but I asked around the office and nobody else did – that’s sort of shocking considering what I do for a living.
“As designers we have a great responsibility. I believe designers should eliminate the unnecessary. That means eliminating everything that is modish because this kind of thing is only short-lived.”
Dieter Rams – interview with Icon Magazine
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Dieter Rams is a German industrial designer who trained and worked as an architect for a few years until he joined the electronic devices manufacturer Braun. Within a few years he became their chief of design, a position he held for almost 35 years. During his tenure, he and his team designed many iconic devices ranging from record players to furniture to storage systems.
He is also credited with the memorable phrase “Weniger, aber besser” which basically translates into “Less, but better”. Dieter Rams used graphic design, form, proportion, and materiality to create order within his designs. His work does not try to be the center of attention, rather he allows his work to become part of the environment through precision and order.
Dieter Rams is also very well known for his Ten Principles for Good Design. If you are not familiar with them, I have compiled them here – information courtesy of Vitsœ, who has compiled a complete 70 year timeline of the life and designs of Dieter Rams.
Good design is innovative
The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.
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Good design makes a product useful
A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.
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Good design is aesthetic
The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful.
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Good design makes a product understandable
It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.
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Good design is unobtrusive
Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.
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Good design is honest
It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.
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Good design is long-lasting
It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.
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Good design is thorough, down to the last detail
Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.
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Good design is environmentally-friendly
Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimises physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.
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Good design is as little design as possible
Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials.
Back to purity, back to simplicity.
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Many believe Dieter Rams is Jonathan Ive’s (Senior Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple) big influence. When the first iPod is compared to the Pocket transistor radio, one can see the similarity in the order and proportion of the two products.
Phaidon is releasing a new book on Dieter Rams in June this year (2011) called Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible – and the foreword to this book is writen by Jonathan Ive. The book looks remarkable and I know I will be getting a copy for my library. If you’re interested in pre-ordering your own copy, I’ve provided an Amazon link below.
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I apologize for the self-indulgent post, but I do hope that in the end, you think this post was as interesting as I did – there are few people who have designed so many pieces that are this classic and timeless.
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