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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Leave a Reply
This post is very clean and simplistic that I’m sure even Mr Rams himself would approve. Anyway, it is amazing how Rams’ design survives the passage of time, even the first iMac does not age as well as them.
But I do feel Jony Ive is getting more creative as time goes on. Maybe due to the almost limitless creative freedom now that the whole world knows how talented of a designer he is.
Wow, Ive is one of my hereos, and this bloke needs further study by me. I now routinely ask myself think what would this look like if Ive did it? Thank you for this introduction, I also heard him mentioned in the Jobs biography.
my pleasure 🙂
Typos in paragraph about Jony Ive: belief should be believe, ipod should be iPod. Great post.
You also have Jonny Ive’s name spelled differently in the 2 instances. So now, I’ve provided you with another option 🙂
I don’t know what your talking about – go back and check
🙂
if you want to get picky, “belief” wasn’t a typo – it was the wrong word.
Other than that, thanks
I’ve got a slightly architecture-modified version of this that our studio put together. I’ll post it today. I’d love to get your feedback on it.
Great post, Bob! We included it in our Weekly Roundup: http://blog.studio-sc.com/post/5455066812/weekly-roundup
Great post about Dieter Rams – he has been an inspiration of mine for years!
I keep a quote by him posted in my studio to remind me to Keep it Simple (we all have our moments!)
Thanks for sharing Bob!
If I may…his phrase is written “Weniger, aber besser” i think you switched the “n” with the “i”…love your blog!
Thanks for both! I went in and fixed my typo (hate when I miss something like that!)
Cheers,
Bob
If I may…his phrase is written “Weniger, aber besser” i think you switched the “n” with the “i”…love your blog!
http://www.facebook.com/Dieter.Rams
seems good for updating.
Excellent post Bob. Can we get those 10 Principles on a poster to hang in the studio? Or maybe as an iPad2 cover (thinking were others might see it).
Less but better, much better should be tattooed across the backs of our hands as we create. Too many designers and architects have garbled up designs with the “more is better” concept. This only works with bank accounts.
Less is always more esthetically pleasing though sometimes more painstaking to achieve. To make something better is always my top priority as a designer. Far too often some get caught up in the “making” aspect and the design suffers.
Dieter Rams = Modern + Classic
Back to the Basics never gets old.
Great post Bob & I can easily see why those that love modern homes love this guy & those 10 principles which I fully agree with in many cases
Sean,
The 10 principles are incredibly relevant today and I find his designs as fresh today as they were 50 years ago. His impact on popular culture can barely be measured – just look at any of the products Apple is producing for evidence.
Cheers