Dieter Rams: Ten Principles for Good Design

Exquisitely produced to reflect Dieter Rams’ aesthetic philosophy, this book presents highlights from a forty-year career designing iconic consumer products that enhance our daily lives. For decades, anyone who cared about product design looked to the Braun label when choosing their appliances, radios, and other consumer items. Now Dieter Rams, the guiding force behind the Braun look, breaks down his design principles and processes in this elegant book. Enumerating each of his ten principles such as good design is innovative; good design is aesthetic; good design is useful, etc., this book presents one hundred items that embody these guidelines. Readers will find items that are familiar such as the ubiquitous coffee grinder but also those that are more unusual such as shelving systems and cigarette lighters. A fascinating essay places Dieter Rams in the context of modern design, from Bauhaus to Philip Johnson. Archival materials include photos of Rams’ design team and excerpts from his publications and speeches. The book closes with a chronological overview of design icons, categorized by function, that show the enormous breadth of Rams’ vision. Taken together, these images and texts offer the most comprehensive overview of Dieter Rams’ work to date and will serve as both a reference and an inspiration for anyone interested in how and why good design matters.

Cees W. De Jong is an author of numerous books and a curator of exhibitions on design, typography, and architecture.