In the beginning, there was Deiter. (Pronounced Dee-ter, for those non-german speakers among us.)
My knowledge of Dieter Rams came very late to me, in my design experience. I’m embarrassed to say, I think I was introduced to him, via Apple and Jonny Ive. So this would have been about 2005-ish, I would say. It’s only once you’ve researched Dieter and his incredibly prolific design history, that you realise alomost everything Apple has done for the last 20 years has been a homage to Rams in one way or another. His relentless pursuit, or devotion to, his “Less is more” mantra, has resulted in an unparalelled body of work that spans more than 5 decades. His work and life has influenced far more than industrial design alone, inspiring all kinds of creatives around the globe. By banishing all eloborate or extraneous details from his work, he has also future-proofed his vast catalogue, leaving it forever framed in a futuristic state.
Influenced by the Bauhaus, he made a name for himself in product design working at Braun and Vitsoe for more than five incredibly productive decades. His work and principles of good design have influenced the design industry and designers for many decades.
Rams was born on May 20, 1932 in Wiesbaden, Germany. In the early 40’s, Rams was fortunately too young to get involved in Germany’s ill-fated war efforts. This was probably the best for everyone, as Rams had a strong distaste for authority and even from an early age found it difficult to bond with the German educational system. Later, he attended the College of Applied Arts, now RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, in his home town.
The designer became familiar with the Bauhaus culture while studying at the school of art in Wiesbaden, later revealing in an interview with Kinfolk Magazine that the school’s founding director based its curriculum on the principles of the Bauhaus. Those principles would shape his career.
After taking a break for some months in 1948, he returned to the College of Applied Arts to continue his studies. He graduated with honors in architecture in 1953. After his graduation, he worked with the German architect Otto Apel for some time.
Rams joined the consumer products maker Braun in 1955 as an interior designer and architect, a move that would leave a monumental mark on design culture – in Germany and around the world. 6 years later, such was Rams’ contribution to the company, he was made the chief design officer of the company in 1961 – he was only 29 years old. He remained in that position until 1995.
The industrial designer recalled that engineers were in charge of product design when he joined Braun. Rams customer-centric design processes changed all of that, and design became inextricably linked with good products designed for the customer. Sales would follow function first, then form.
He worked with the phrase, “Weniger, aber besser,” when coming up with designs at Braun. That phrase translates to, “Less, but better.” He placed a greater emphasis on function rather than form.
“In those early years, we began working on a more modest product language that derived from function but was stripped of the formal mendacity that was commonplace at the time,” Rams said, as quoted by Dezeen.
He got necessary support from Braun’s top management, including Erwin Braun. This enabled him and his team to come up with numerous timeless products, ranging from alarm clocks to radios and record players. It's a testament to his timeless work that good design never ages. Even today the majority of his product designs, stripped of any visual clutter and decoration from the zeitgeist, seem timeless and futuristic. Dietrich Lubs, a one time collaborator with Rams at Braun, said that the Braun designers “were trying to eliminate the need for user manuals.” Imagine a world where products didn’t need user manuals. Is it even possible? A lofty and admirable goal, I think. Personally, I have tried very hard to make the Zenn interface as useable and intuitive as possible. Hoping I have succeeded! (Feedback will no doubt tell me if I have or not….!)
Among these remarkable products was the SK-4 record player, fondly called “Snow White’s Coffin.” This was the first turntable to come with a plexiglass cover – something that seemed obvious, and natural after this release, but was a first at the time. Rams contributed immensely to making Braun a major name in consumer products – producing over 500 products – all with Rams’ timeless, bold aesthetic.
Simplicity
In the Kinfolk interview, Rams echoed that “Simplicity is the key to excellence.” He restated that the only ideal approach to design was the “less-but-better” way. The German designer has never failed to show that he’s not the type given to ornamentation. He’s all for designs that are simple, functional, and user-oriented. These qualities, according to him, are what make for a timeless design, and this has been proven by his ongoing influence in the design industry and his popularity amongst designers globally.
His Ten Principles for Good Design, published in the 1970s, are used by many current designers who wish to produce designs that stand the test of time. One of the principles is that “good design is unobtrusive,” giving the user room for self-expression.
The rule that, perhaps, emphasises the need for simplicity the most is that good design “is as little design as possible.” This drives home the “less, but better” idea more perfectly. Interestingly, his design approach proved to be so popular that it is applied to not only industrial design, but also design in general, from Graphic design to architectural design.
Influence on Apple
If you look closely, you can notice the influence of Rams’ work and principles on some Apple products. The simple, yet aesthetic, looks of his products made for excellent examples of what the designer had in mind with his principles, and these practices were taken and applied throughout many Apple products.
The calculator app in iOS 3 was essentially a homage to Rams’ 1987 Braun ET 66 calculator. You can also see the German’s strong influence on the world clock app of Apple’s iOS 7.
The “Now Playing” screen of Apple’s Podcast app also used to look somewhat like the Braun TG tape recorder before it was redesigned.
Gary Hustwit told ABC News Australia that Rams was a major influence on both Steve Jobs and Jony Ive, the famous Apple design officer.
“Without doubt there are few companies in the world,” Rams wrote of Apple, “that genuinely understand and practice the power of good design in their products and their businesses.”
Apart from working with Braun, Rams has worked on a continuous basis with Vitsoe for more than 50 years. Among his notable designs for the furniture company were the 620 Chair Programme, which has been re-issued, and the 606 Universal Shelving System.
The German designer revealed in the Kinfolk interview that he was still using the shelving system in his Wiesbaden home. He said the product was still comfortable to use, 56 years after, highlighting its enduring value. Vitsoe states that he continues to improve the designs he made for the company.
Rams has received numerous awards in a career spanning about seven decades, including a Lifetime Achievement Medal in 2013 at the London Design Festival. He continues to live and work in Weisbaden, Germany.
Thank you Dieter, for your wonderful contributions to designs, and to our lives!
