Dieter Rams
Industrial designer; head of design at Braun from 1961 to 1995; designer of Vitsœ's 606 shelving system; author of the ten principles for good design.
Dieter Rams did not write this page.
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Our reading
Innovative design develops in tandem with innovative technology and can never be an end in itself.
Their wordsBut innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.
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Their wordsThe 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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Their wordsIt clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.
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Their wordsProducts 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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Their wordsIt 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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Our reading
Good design is long-lasting: it avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated.
Their wordsIt 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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Their wordsNothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the user.
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Their wordsLess, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials.