Dieter rams what is good design

A quick look at Dieter Rams' Ten Principles. He was strongly influenced by his grandfather who was a carpenter. Prompted by his friend he applied for a job at the german electrical products company Braun in Eco Friendly Dieter Rams is famously one of the first designers who strived to be environmentally friendly before it was popular.

He believed "design can and must maintain its contribution towards protecting and sustaining the environment. What's the story? Here is a brief overview: 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 These principles have become iconic and have inspired designers across the world.

What can I do? Are they good or bad? What do you think of them? DO: Write your own principles for design! Medium is designed to not intrude on your reading experience. An easy example is an LED light strip I was buying. To compete with more expensive strips the manufacturer included all these unnecessary power bars, adapters and accessories. From reading the reviews however it seems the power bar gets hot almost immediately and nearly set fire to several peoples homes except the manufacturing was so poor it unplugged itself before the fire got out of hand.

Good design shows you exactly what the object does and nothing more. They chase trends, encourage people to replace still functioning products and encourage short term consumerism.

Good design withstands trends. Plastic water bottles are poorly designed. They function properly and balance structure, function and to some extent aesthetics.

Good design withstands the withering effects of time, fading taste, and short attention spans. Most details balance function, structure and aesthetics wonderfully. It suits your identity and represents you well to others. But the designers mess up on some seemingly trivial detail which derails the whole object. It filled my bike tires great, it was easy to use, attractive, matched my biking shorts and jersey.

It was almost perfect. Except the designers used cheap plastic to secure the tube, which snapped almost immediately. Good design minimizes resource use all throughout its supply chain. Excessive plastic packaging, inefficient manufacturing for instance baby carrots , wasted human labour. All of this reeks of someone designing something poorly.

Every one of us identifies problems, brainstorms remedies, and implements some solution which meets our desired criteria. This is design. We design solutions to our friends painful break-ups. We design methods for our kids to get to karate and have time to study.

Design is in every object, plan or action taken by humanity. Look in the mirror and see the designer you are. Good design makes a product understandable Braun T World Receiver Able to scan all available frequency bands, the portable T World Receiver possessed a reserved yet legible layout with an oblong case, telescopic antennas, and user-friendly controls. Made of aluminium, it was one of the top devices in its range at the time - a further testament to Rams' ability to craft accessible, cutting-edge products.

Designed in conjunction with members of the HfG Ulm, this compact, modularly designed pocket radio is emblematic of the technical and aesthetic superiority of Braun-designed products, made to fit snugly within pockets or a specialised case.

Its influence extended far beyond contemporaries, playing an integral role in the conception of the click wheel and design proportions of Apple's first-generation iPod models.

This cylindrical table lighter has a stainless steel top and thermoplastic body as part of Rams' utilitarian, aesthetic-based approach to design that presented a product for exactly what it was.

Intrigued by a novel magnetic ignition mechanism, Rams' main focus throughout the design process was to ascertain the precise location on the object's body where the maximum pressure could be applied to the ignition pad. A versatile modular seating system, the Vitsoe consisted of a kit of parts that can either serve as a single armchair unit or transform into a sofa of practically infinite length.

The system provided options between linen and leather upholstery and was built to be durable, employing a coil-sprung mesh unit overlaid with long-lasting coir and a natural rubber pad.

Good design is thorough down to the last detail Vitsoe Easy Chair Featuring aluminium legs with casting seams, striated cushioning, and a fibreglass shell, the Easy Chair displays a high level of technical articulation and detail in the design of its constituent parts. This results in a sleek, stunning visual profile that does not compromise on comfort.

Good design is environmentally-friendly Vitsoe Universal Shelving System The fact that Vitsoe is still manufacturing this shelving system in its original form is evidence of its incredibly high efficiency of storage and material usage.

Linked by anodised aluminium endplates enclosing painted spanning elements, it is likely to be among the most well-structured modular storage systems ever conceived. Based on the Quad ESL, these were the first electrostatic speakers available in the German market during their time and still possess the capacity to match some contemporary hi-fi sound systems.

Having a large, distinctive membrane and simple, functional design, the speakers were trailblazers at the time of their release - both technically and aesthetically. Rams' designs throughout his career have been based on these 10 principles - seen in their restrained, functional, and elegant design vocabulary.

He crafted products that were impeccably coherent but most importantly, easy to operate through extensive testing and an exceptional degree of fine detailing. Jerry Elengical. Jerry's work as a writer is fuelled by an innate desire to ascertain the driving forces behind exemplary architecture and design.

An architect by education, he directs this interest towards crafting riveting narratives that attempt to capture the essence of creative endeavours from all over the world. The Cagbalete Sand Clusters by Carlo Calma Consultancy combines the ideals of sustainability to create a new typology for eco-tourism on an island in the Philippines. Please confirm your email address and we'll send you a link to reset your password.

Architecture Design Art. Design 07 mins. Stir Inspire People. An exquisitely slender profile with a functional aesthetic characterised the Braun Dymatic Pocket Lighter, designed to be used and admired for its beauty Image: Austin Calhoon, Courtesy of Creative Commons. One of the top-range devices of its time, the T came with a legible yet austere layout and could scan all frequency bands Image: Benjamin Heinecke, Courtesy of Creative Commons.