Dieter Rams: In depth investigation

        Good design is innovative. It is aesthetic. It is unobtrusive, honest, long-lasting, and thorough down to the last detail. It makes a product useful, understandable, and environmentally friendly. Good design is as little design as possible. A deceivingly simple set of rules.

Dieter Rams legacy as a designer lies not only in his definition of good design, but in his ability to create products which fit this definition over his forty year career. Rams’ influence in the field is undeniable. His designs for the German electronic devices manufacturer Braun are celebrated in museums internationally: objects as simple as record players and coffee makers. Rams has received prestigious awards for his work, and is highly regarded in the design community. 

Rams’ principles of good design have allowed his products to maintain a longevity which is rare, especially among consumer electronics. As technology evolves, electronic device design is quick to become obsolete and antiquated. Simply consider brick-like cell phones of the nineties, or massive tape decks of decades past. However, Rams’ designs of record players and film projectors from the sixties still maintain a modern elegance. It would even be difficult to place them in a certain time period if presented without context. 

Rams’ abilities and insights into the design world set him apart from many of his colleagues. His prestigious career, savvy design principles, and long lasting products have cemented his legacy. The following are examples of the works which have helped him build up such a name in the design community: 

Basic facts about Dieter Rams:

Born May 20, 1932 in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Studied Architecture at Werkkunstschule Wiesbaden throughout the 40's and 50's .

Began working for Braun Electronics in late 50's, where he would stay as head of design until 1995.

Recieved 'Kölner Klopfer' prize in 2010 for his influence in the design world. 


sources:

As Little Design As Possible: The Work of Dieter Rams
by: Sophie Lovell

http://www.vitsoe.com/en/gb/about/dieterrams