Dieter Rams, a German industrial designer and architect, has profoundly shaped the field of design. His design philosophy, encapsulated in the motto "Less, but better," emphasizes simplicity, functionality, and environmental responsibility. Rams' work, particularly his long tenure at Braun, has influenced countless designers, including Apple's Jony Ive. In the 1980s, Rams articulated ten principles of good design that remain remarkably relevant today, applicable to both industrial and digital design. These principles offer a framework for creating products that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also useful, understandable, and sustainable.
Innovation: Embracing Technological Advancement
"The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design." This principle underscores the importance of leveraging technological advancements to create innovative designs. Innovation should not be an end in itself but rather a means to enhance the functionality and user experience of a product. As digital and product designers, we have continuous access to developing technology.
Usefulness: Satisfying Functional, Psychological, and Aesthetic Needs
"A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic." A product's usefulness is paramount. It must fulfill its intended function while also addressing the user's psychological and aesthetic needs. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.
Aesthetics: Integral to Well-being
"The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being." Aesthetics play a crucial role in a product's usefulness. Well-executed objects enhance the user's experience and contribute to their overall well-being. Let’s not kid ourselves: looks matter. Form should always follow function, but it shouldn’t be forgotten - it should follow.
Understandability: Clarity and Self-Explanatory Design
"It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product talk." A well-designed product should be easy to understand and use. It should communicate its function clearly, ideally being self-explanatory. At best, it is self-explanatory.
Read also: Good Design According to Dieter Rams
Unobtrusiveness: Neutrality and Restraint
"Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art." Good design should be unobtrusive, allowing the user to focus on the product's function without distraction. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression. Don’t design a product around yourself. Further, don’t design your product around a projection of what you expect or even want your user to be.
Honesty: Authenticity and Transparency
"It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is." Honesty in design means avoiding misleading or exaggerated claims about a product's capabilities. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept. We should be honest with our users about what we’re delivering to them.
Long-Lasting: Avoiding Fashion and Timelessness
"It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated." Good design should be long-lasting, avoiding fleeting trends and remaining relevant over time. Designing for the sake of fashion is a dangerous and generally unhelpful thing. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years - even in today’s throwaway society.
Thoroughness: Precision and Care
"Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance." Every detail of a design should be carefully considered and executed with precision. This demonstrates respect for the user and ensures a high-quality product. This is where good designers are separated from excellent designers.
Environmental Friendliness: Sustainability and Responsibility
"Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment." Designers have a responsibility to create products that minimize environmental impact throughout their lifecycle. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product. We still should be sensitive to our digital and logical environment.
Read also: Ernst Dieter Beck: A deep dive into his crimes
Simplicity: "Less, but Better"
"Good design is as little design as possible. Less, but better - because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity." This principle encapsulates Rams' core philosophy. By focusing on essential elements and eliminating unnecessary features, designers can create products that are both elegant and effective.
Applying Rams' Principles to Digital Design
Rams' principles are not limited to industrial design; they are equally applicable to web and app design. Here's how these principles can be applied in the digital realm:
- Innovation: Avoid innovation for the sake of innovation. Focus on creating features that genuinely enhance the user experience and serve a purpose.
- Usefulness: Make digital interfaces easy to interact with, ensuring user enjoyment through user enablement.
- Understandability: Design interfaces that clearly communicate their function, minimizing the gap between user perception and actual capabilities.
- Unobtrusiveness: Guide users towards desired interactions with clear visual cues, such as making buttons look like clickable buttons.
- Honesty: Ensure that the design reflects the true character and purpose of the product or service.
- Long-Lasting: Future-proof designs by keeping them adaptable and maintaining a neutral aesthetic feel.
- Thoroughness: Pay attention to every detail, ensuring that even seemingly minor elements contribute to the overall user experience.
- Environmental Friendliness: Design with impact, avoiding unnecessary pages and minimizing the clicks users take.
- Simplicity: Embrace minimalism, focusing on the essentials and eliminating unnecessary frills.
Dieter Rams: The Creative Engineer
Rams believed that a designer should be a "gestaltingenieur" or creative engineer, synthesizing the completed product from its various elements. Their work is largely rational, meaning that aesthetic decisions are justified by an understanding of the product’s purpose. This emphasizes the importance of a rational and holistic approach to design, where aesthetic decisions are grounded in functionality and purpose.
Read also: Espionage and betrayal: The Dieter Gerhardt case.