Dieter Rams and Good Design
This week I traveled to London to take in one of the oldest and most historic cities in Europe. Already I feel as though London has significantly broadened my design sensibilities through the visual appreciation of both art and architecture. Seeing good design on such a scale has changed my perception on how design can be applied to every day life and sadly, in North America is often missed. Later this week I plan to investigate the Design Museum which, has a fabulous exhibit titled Less is More — The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams.
As lead designer at Braun, the German consumer electronics manufacturer, Dieter Rams emerged as one of the most influential industrial designers of the late 20th century by defining an elegant, legible, yet rigorous visual language for its products. During his tenure at Braun he defined design principles that have become their mantra and have been appreciated by designers around the world in every medium.
Dieter Rams’ Ten Principles of good design:
Good design is innovative.
Good design makes a product useful.
Good design is aesthetic.
Good design makes a product understandable.
Good design is unobtrusive.
Good design is honest.
Good design is long-lasting.
Good design is thorough down to the last detail.
Good design is environmentally friendly.
Good design is as little design as possible.
The following is a excerpt from a conversation between Deyan Sudjic, Director of the Design Museum in London and Dieter Rams.
Hey – Dieter Rams’ interview in Objectified was amazing — best part of the film!
I’m glad you’re having such a great time in the UK — and taking in all the design goodies. Sounds amazing.
Cheers!