The Culture Show on BBC 2 last Friday carried a segment on the highly regarded and innovative product designer Dieter Rams. Rams was chief of design at Braun from 1961 until 1995, during which time he was responsible for some incredibly innovative and consequential product designs including the iconic record player Braun-Sk61. The program focused on the heart of Rams’ design philosophy which was the belief in the maxim ‘less but better’ and his desire for current design companies to practice what he termed ‘honest’ design.

During an interview with Rams he talked of his admiration for companies that practiced ‘honest’ design. One company he singled out was Apple by citing their range of iconic and function-focused products such as the iPhone, iPod and iMac. The program makers then illustrated how Apple’s products have been inspired by product designs Rams created for Braun by demonstrating the similarity between the design of Rams’ Braun LE1 speaker and Apple’s iMac as well as Rams’ Braun T3 pocket radio and Apple’s iPod.

Two main themes became apparent to me as I watched the Rams interview continue. Firstly, the appreciation Rams took from Apple’s use of his designs as inspiration for their own and secondly the focus he placed on simple and honest design. As a graphic designer I thought how these twin thoughts might impact my work.

Isaac Newton once said that ‘If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.’ This is as true in product design, as demonstrated by the relationship between Apple and Rams, as it is in graphic design. All design projects must start with a period of research into a field before the process of concept development begins. During this process, concepts and treatments created by other graphic designers will be unearthed. It is generally accepted in graphic design that to use another designer’s work as inspiration or a starting point is less valid - a point of view shown to be illogical to the minds of Rams and indeed Newton. It is therefore of benefit to the designs we produce to start from the most effective point in the evolution of a particular field of design, whether that be logo design or web design.

The second theme of Rams’ interview was his strict application of his maxim ‘less but better’ to every design project he worked on. As a graphic designer this is something I can relate to. There is always a temptation in graphic design to put every idea one has into the design, whether the design is for a web page layout, a brochure or a logo. Rams said designers should eliminate unnecessary elements from their designs, saying ‘that means eliminating everything that is modish because this kind of thing is only short-lived.’ This is especially true of graphic design where trends and styles come and go quickly - driven by content heavy media outlets that put emphasis on ‘new’ rather than ‘longevity’. It is of benefit to our clients, however, to have designs that are clear in message and tone and which will stand the test of time – qualities both Rams at Braun and Apple today have developed with precision and excellence.
 

Share this...

 del.icio.us   Reddit   StumbleUpon   Digg   Facebook   Twitter