Dieter Rams: Principle 3
Principle 3: Good design is aesthetic
First, it is important to define the word “aesthetic.” Aesthetic can be used as a noun and mean “a set of principles underlying the work of a particular artist or artistic movement.” Used in this way, it goes without saying that all design has some aesthetic or concept of what is beautiful. However, aesthetic can also be used as an adjective and that appears to be Rams’ intended use. As an adjective, aesthetic means “giving or designed to give pleasure through beauty.”
Rams designed with a functional aesthetic born out of the idea that a product is useful (Principle 2). A functional aesthetic has been used to describe utilitarian objects built for particular purposes. A simple tool will often come to most minds when you discuss a functional aesthetic. However, this is not the image that should come to mind when thinking about Rams’ designs. Though Rams put great emphasis on his designs being functional, his designs were not complete once they performed a task. For Rams, everything had to be thought about and every detail had to be analyzed. His was a functional aesthetic, which is not devoid of thought, but where thought undergirded every aspect of the design. The details, proportions, materials, and function integrate into a whole or complete design. In his designs, there is nothing that needs to be added and nothing that needs to be removed. This is true because everything has been carefully thought about in the design process. It is an aesthetic (theory or concept of beauty) of pure intent.
While the objects designed for Braun are reduced to their essential elements, they are not without an aesthetic. The objects’ aesthetic (attractive in appearance) is born out of their essential nature. Rams is quoted in Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible as saying, “My intention is to omit every unneeded element in order to place the essentials in the foreground. Forms will then become placid, soothingly comprehensible and long-lasting” (p. 189). Removing unnecessary elements gave Rams’ designs a long-lasting appeal that meant that the objects did not need to be replaced (Principle 7: good design is long lasting). The objects’ unobtrusive nature resulted in an elegance that outlasted many fashionable or trendy designs.
As a consumer, it is important to assess whether a design is long lasting. Is the object performing a clear and important task? Has the object’s every element been carefully thought about? Remember, behind every object that you interact with as a consumer is a person or a group of people that made decisions, conscious or not, about the design of the object. If you demand more from the design environment and the items that you place in your life, your life will be positively impacted. Support good design because good design matters.
“Aesthetic | Definition of Aesthetic in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries | English, Oxford Dictionaries, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/aesthetic.
Lovell, Sophie, and Jonathan Ive. Dieter Rams: as Little Design as Possible. Phaidon Press Limited, 2017.