Lineage of German Design

Rams and Jony Ive — Apple's Acknowledged German Heritage

It's an oft-repeated anecdote that Jony Ive was deeply impressed when he first saw products designed by Dieter Rams. This is said to have happened around 1989-1992, during his time at the design st...

Good design is as little design as possible. —Rams's 10th principle

Dieter Rams's "Ten Principles of Good Design," Principle 10: "Good design is as little design as possible (Gutes Design ist so wenig Design wie möglich)." Vitsœ's official text continues:"Less, but...

Good design is environmentally friendly – Rams’ ninth principle

Dieter Rams' "Ten Principles for Good Design," Principle 9: "Good design is environmentally friendly (Gutes Design ist umweltfreundlich)." The official Vitsoe text continues: "Design makes an essen...

Good design is thorough to the last detail—Rams' eighth principle

Dieter Rams's 8th of the "Ten Principles of Good Design" states: "Good design is thorough down to the last detail (Gutes Design ist konsequent bis ins letzte Detail)." Vitsœ's official text continu...

Good design is long-lasting - Rams' 7th Principle

Dieter Rams's "10 Principles for Good Design," Principle 7: "Good design is long-lasting (Gutes Design ist langlebig)." The official text continues: "It avoids being fashionable and thus never appe...

Good design is honest—Rams' Sixth Principle

Dieter Rams's "Ten Principles of Good Design," Principle 6: "Good design is honest (Gutes Design ist ehrlich)." His explanation is brief yet incisive. "It does not make a product more innovative, p...

Good design is unobtrusive. – Rams’ Fifth Principle

Dieter Rams' "Ten Principles for Good Design," Principle 5: "Good design is unobtrusive (Gutes Design ist unaufdringlich)." The German word "unaufdringlich" means "not pushy," a nuance deeper than ...

Good design makes a product understandable—Rams' 4th principle

Dieter Rams' "10 Principles of Good Design," Principle 4: "Good design makes a product understandable (Gutes Design macht ein Produkt verständlich)." Vitsœ's official description elaborates with a ...

Good design is aesthetic. (Rams’ Third Principle)

Dieter Rams' third principle of good design is "Good design is aesthetic (Gutes Design ist ästhetisch)." However, Rams added a crucial sentence at the end of his explanation:"Aber nur das Gut-Gemac...

Good design makes a product useful – Rams’ Second Principle

Dieter Rams' "Ten Principles of Good Design," Principle 2: "Good design makes a product useful (Gutes Design macht ein Produkt brauchbar)." This statement seems obvious at first glance. However, th...