The eleventh principle of good design
What Dieter Rams didn’t write
[🇧🇷 Esse artigo também está disponível em português.]
Over the last few years, getting involved with design, I’ve encountered some bits of history that are almost mythical by now. Companies, products, people, books… fragments of a coherent philosophy that I see embedded in the most successful companies.
One of those bits is Dieter Rams’ ten principles of good design. If you haven’t heard of him yet, now is as good a time as ever to dive into Google. He’s a legendary designer best known for his work at Braun, and for inspiring Apple’s design ethos. That he has left a dent in the universe is unquestionable.
He created the list out of frustration with the state of the world, a feeling that I think we can all relate to. Like his products, the ten commandments — as they’re sometimes called — were designed to be timeless. Let’s briefly recapitulate these principles he wrote in 1980:
- Good design is innovative;
- Good design makes a product useful;
- Good design is aesthetic;
- Good design makes a product understandable;
- Good design is unobtrusive;
- Good design is honest;
- Good design is long-lasting;
- Good design is thorough down to the last detail;
- Good design is environmentally-friendly;
- Good design is as little design as possible.
I’ve listened to them so many times that his pronunciation of “gutes design” is embedded in my non-german-speaker brain. That they are now nearly forty years old is impressive, and I’d wager they’ll continue to be current for quite some time. There are pressing overarching themes in them, such as sustainability in life and design.
I was watching a recently released movie on him, directed by Gary Hustwit. You probably know him from his previous trilogy (Helvetica, Objectified, and Urbanized). They’re all incredible documentaries, a must-watch for designers. In this latest one, titled Rams, Dieter shares thoughts on his work and we get a sense of his lifestyle. There are also interviews with relevant people that talk about his vast influence.
In one of those interviews, in the extras, Mark Adam’s from Vitsœ talks about the unwritten eleventh principle of good design. One related to a personality trait that Dieter and Steve Jobs share: determination. He mentions that Rams might have taken it for granted since it’s “just who he is.”
“Good design is single-minded,” Mark said. I felt compelled to write about this. At first glance, like some of the principles that Dieter has written, it may not appear as much. But it’s when you take a closer look that wisdom is revealed behind the words.
When Dieter focused his principles on the products, he made them less abstract and more understandable. Leaving the list at ten items also draws it nicely to a close. However, I increasingly perceive the importance of company values to exceed in design. This unwritten principle addresses one crucial element of that culture, so it may very well be my favorite.
I’ll exemplify how this determination can take shape, but what better way to start this interpretation than with a funny video? In true time-capsule fashion, here’s one that illustrates a not-so-current comparison between Apple and Microsoft. How would an iPod box be designed if it were up to Microsoft at the time?
What can be extracted from this video is that good design depends on determination. The iPod box could only be well designed because it came from a company that has strong values, where unfounded fears and biases don’t get the best. Although the less-is-more approach taken by the iPod box, for instance, has proven market appeal, the conditions for its development are not easy to replicate. Even so, it’s crucial that we as product designers work towards it every day. Considering the excess of stimulus in our ever more connected lives, we certainly shouldn’t waste a person’s attention with what’s not essential.
As could be seen in the many hypothetical inputs that appear in the video, external factors are exceedingly present in the product development process. By having a well-calibrated compass, you can prevent decisions that are counter to the objective. Excelling at eliminating noise by painting a clear vision is hard, for any product manager or CEO, but it’s fundamental for great design.
You have to be bold to be simple. You have to be bold to block out distracting hype. There’s a reason why we aren’t all producing timeless products, myself included. It’s not as simple as following data. Different mindsets are essential, but a strong intuition and gut can’t be overlooked. (Insert here all the quotes about customers not knowing what they want).
When applying this determination, be mindful that it doesn’t rule out research with users. Nevertheless, you’d run it in a more careful and measured way, better defining the object of study and interpreting findings with more caution. Design by committee would be the antonym of single-minded design.
It takes courage to take a different direction than everyone else, to say a thousand no’s for every yes. One company that has long embodied this philosophy is Apple, and I hope to share insights in the future from what I’ve observed about them. Rams’ principles and Apple’s philosophy overlap a lot.
In the end, what I hope you’ve gathered is that the environment of creation is intertwined with the final product. When designing alone, it’s easier to be determined and follow a vision. Designing products in a corporate environment, however, involves people that need a north star. The eleventh principle of good design reminds us of how important it is to care for company culture, whose values should promote determination.
I want to conclude with a quote taken from the documentary. I think that it perfectly describes how one can feel an emotional connection to simple products. It also touches on how one’s ego can get in the way of good design.
When your mind is set to create something of your own, you end up just expressing yourself. But when you decide to be true to function, you feel your spirit emerge. Shapes created for a certain function can leave a much stronger, more stimulating impact, than when you’re just obsessed with the idea of expressing yourself.
— Naoto Fukasawa
Thank you to everyone who indulged in this little exploration with me. Don’t forget to check out the excellent documentary Rams (beautiful photography btw). Also, consider following if you’d like to read more takes on culture’s role in product development.
As always, claps and suggestions are appreciated. Until the next article 👋🏻
