Less and More

A fortnight ago I visited the Design Museum by Shad Thames for the first time, and was fortunate enough to come across the exhibition on Dieter Rams. From the '50s to the '90s, Rams designed hundreds of products for Braun, ranging from record players to the razors that have become synonymous with the brand.



I believe the design ethos of Dieter Rams can be summed up in two words: simplicity and functionality. The industrial designer strove to create products that were functional rather than fashionable, that would stand the test of time. To design a coffee maker that would sit contentedly on a counter-top for decades, devoid of any problems, was the ultimate aim for this man. He was not one for frills. Having marvelled at some of Rams's products at the exhibition for a good half-hour, I can honestly report back that there was not an inch of superfluity in sight. Even the use of colour was kept to a minimum. Glimpses of red text on a turntable to denote a differentiation between sets of functions, the green of the 'on' button... If an additional colour did not serve a purpose, it would not find its way into a Dieter Rams design.




Despite his commitment to simplicity, Rams succeeded in creating a strong aesthetic - an aesthetic so appealing that it heavily influenced Jonathon Ives, designer of the iMac, iPod and iPhone. Comparing the classic white iPod and one of Dieter's creations, the Braun T3, you can't help but notice the remarkable similiarity of the two products. So it seems that Rams was both an inspiration and decades ahead of his time.



I shall leave you with Dieter Rams's ten principles for good design. It seems awfully lazy to copy out a list in my first ever post here, but the principles well-represent the mind that thought them up.

◦Good design is innovative.
◦Good design makes a product useful.
◦Good design is aesthetic.
◦Good design helps us to understand a product.
◦Good design is unobtrusive.
◦Good design is honest.
◦Good design is durable.
◦Good design is consequent to the last detail.
◦Good design is concerned with the environment.
◦Good design is as little design as possible.

"Weniger, aber besser" - "Less, but better."