Dieter Rams

Dieter Rams (born 20 May 1932) is a German designer who is most closely associated with the consumer products company Braun, the furniture company Vitsœ, and the functionalist school of industrial design. His unobtrusive approach and belief in "less, but better" design has influenced the practice of design, as well as 20th century aesthetics and culture.

Dieter Rams

Quotes

• When I started at Braun there were difficulties between the designers and engineers, as there are in many companies, but I noticed that the engineers liked to have a brandy, so I'd buy a bottle of good cognac to share with them. To be a good designer, you have to be half-psychologist.
  • "Reviving Dieter Rams's pragmatism" New York Times (12 November 2006)

• Design isn't marketing, but more and more companies are treating it like that. There should be an absolute commitment to design and technology, and they have to go together.
  • "Reviving Dieter Rams's pragmatism" New York Times (12 November 2006)

Quotes about Rams

• In the late 1970s, Dieter Rams was becoming increasingly interested in the world of things that surrounded him – "an impenetrable confusion of forms, colours and noises." As a designer, Rams was aware that he played an important role in the world he was helping create, he asked himself an important question: is my design good design?
  • What is "Good" Design? A quick look at Dieter Rams' Ten Principles. The Design Museum, London (see below)

Ten Principles of Good design

Rams "10 Principles" as summarized by the Design Museum:

1. Good design is innovative
2. Good design makes a product useful
3. Good design is aesthetic
4. Good design makes a product understandable
5. Good design is unobtrusive
6. Good design is honest
7. Good design is long-lasting
8. Good design is thorough down to the last detail
9. Good design is environmentally-friendly
10. Good design is as little design as possible

• What is "Good" Design? A quick look at Dieter Rams' Ten Principles. The Design Museum, London
• Dieter Rams and the 10 principles for a good design Domus Magazine (15 March 2023)