I’ve written about Dieter Rams, Vitsœ and his 10 principles of good design on this blog before. I hadn’t come across this interview by the V&A from nearly a decade ago which I’d thoroughly recommend you watch with your full attention. At one point, Dieter reminds us of the last principle, good design is as little design as possible, which to him is similar to less, but better.
He also mentions a quote I’d heard before, but I only learnt here that it was actually something Erwin Braun, one of the founders of Braun, said first and not Dieter Rams himself and which I think is spot on:
Min. 4:13 – In the beginning, with the first writing machines it was also monochrome. Why should it not be in colour? It’s the difference between a kitchen machine, which stays permanently in the kitchen, and has to be in the background. That was Erwin Braun, he formulated, ‘Our products should look like an English butler. Be there when you need them, but in the background when you don’t need them.‘ So it depends on the product to make colour or not.
Inconspicuous and invisible are other words I’ve hear to describe their products and how they blend in, particularly the 606 shelving system.
My Excerpts 