Less is More - Dieter Rams and His Enduring Design Philosophy
After the exams, I felt a strong need to relax and take some time for myself. I had the opportunity to travel back to my home country for a week and decided to explore the Museum of Applied Arts located in Frankfurt, Germany. Even though the museum has an interesting temporary exhibition “ The Collection of Maximilian von Goldschmidt-Rothschild”, which features various art collections of Rothschild, my attention was caught by the showroom dedicated to Dieter Rams.
He is one of the most famous German industrial designers of the 20th century. There is no doubt that Rams' design language influenced other successful companies in their design implementation, e.g. Apple.
In my undergraduate studies, I’ve already learned a lot about Dieter Rams' individual design philosophy and his interpretation of today's role of design. He cooperates with the german company Braun and has designed many consumer products for them. All products are recognizable, as the design follows a pattern of simple lines, useful components, and timeless aesthetics.
In his view, design should focus on improving usability and functionality while emphasizing simplicity and elegance.
The Radio-Phono-Combination TP 1 is my favorite piece of his audio equipment collection. Rams designed the radio back in 1959 for Braun.
At first sight, the TP1 doesn’t look spectacular or exceptionally creative in my eyes. But if we have a closer look and understand the function of the radio, the design is brilliant. The TP1 has integrated two different functions into one and seems in comparison to prior stereo systems small, handy, and aesthetic. I personally like Rams individual way of applying the principles of the Bauhaus era “Form Follows Function” — as his results always lead to elegant and efficient design objects.
His work is exhibited all around the world. The design objects can also be admired in the permanent “Dieter Rams collection” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Design Museum in London.
🔁 Short excursus:
When I think about Rams’ philosophy of design, I am immediately reminded of one of my favorite books, The Design of Everyday Things, by Don Norman. It’s worth a look, as Norman emphasizes the importance of iteration and prototyping in the design process, encouraging designers to experiment and make mistakes in order to arrive at an optimal solution.
Chapter 6 of the book might be of particular interest to those of you who want to dig deeper into design thinking and the principles of user-centered design. While reading, I got a deeper insight into the relationship between people and products, especially the actual needs and limitations of users. For those who don’t have time to read, here’s a fun TED show:
💡But how can we build a connection between Rams and Norman's approaches with our class?
The design approaches of Dieter Rams and Don Norman can provide valuable insights and guidance for our project questions, and how we can
re-image and build green, inclusive, and sustainable cities.
“Designers should always have the ambition to change the world for the better, it cannot happen by itself. In those days we had been challenged by the austerity of the post-war years. Today’s big challenge is to protect our natural environment and to overcome thought-less consumerism.”
- Extracts from: Dieter Rams, Tokyo Manifesto, May 2020
Both Designers use a user-centered design, which can be applied to urban planning and development. While keeping their approaches in mind, we can build new ideas for creating urban spaces which might be more accessible, comfortable, and functional for all. Especially the 10 Design principles by Rams can be inspiring for our project, as all principles emphasize creating products that are environmentally friendly and durable, which can in the end: reduce waste.
💭 Last but not least: 2 Questions to think about…
- Do you think the design approaches of Dieter Rams’ are still contemporary or already revised?
- Do you think user-centered design can play a critical role in re-imaging and building green, inclusive, and sustainable cities? And if yes, why?
