Dieter Rams: 10 principles of good design

Dieter Rams is a designer for Vitsoe. Realizing that he contributes a lot to the design world, he asked himself if his design is good design. This question caused Dieter to come up with ten principles that he believed would define good design. His first principle is that good design must be innovative. By this he means that innovative design develops as innovative technology develops, and innovative technology will never cease. The second principle is that good design makes a product useful. This means that designs must be useful, psychological, and aesthetic. A design being aesthetic is also the third principle. This means that the quality of the product is important because it effects out everyday wellbeing. Fourth on the list is that good design makes the product understandable. Designs must speak for themselves and be self-explanatory. The fifth principle is that good design is unobtrusive. This means that designs are not works of art or decorative and need to be neutral and restrained. Good design being honest is the sixth principle on the list. The design must stay true to its word by doing exactly what it was meant to do. The seventh principle is that good design is long lasting. The design must last many years. Good design being thorough down to the last detail is the eighth principle. This means that accuracy in the design is the best way to show the user that you care. The ninth principle is that good design is environmentally friendly. The product should minimize pollution throughout its entire use. Lastly, the tenth principle is that a good design is as little as possible. The design must concentrate on the essentials of the design and should focus on simplicity. If a designer follows all ten of these principles, or sometimes called the ten commandments of design, then he or she will have a good design in Dieter’s terms.