Less and More: The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams

Now available again, this is the definitivereference book on the work of DieterRams. In his more than 40 years at Braun, Rams established himself as one of the mostinfluential designers of the twentieth century.True to the principle of less, but better, his elegantly clear visual language notonly defined product design for generations, but also our fundamental understanding ofwhat design is and what it can and shoulddo. Less and More offers boundless inspirationfor anyone interested in the aestheticand functional aspects of applied design.This book elucidates the philosophy ofDieter Rams that is best summed up in theten rules of design that he created morethan thirty years ago. Sometimes referredto as the ten commandments, they arejust as relevant today: Good design is innovative.Good design makes a product useful.Good design is aesthetic. Good designhelps a product to be understood. Gooddesign is unobtrusive. Good design is honest.Good design is durable. Good design isconsistent to the last detail. Good designis environmentally friendly. Good design isas little design as possible.Less and More features images of hundredsof Rams’s products as well as hissketches and models –from Braun stereosystems and electric shavers to the chairsand shelving systems that he created forVitsoe. In addition to the rich visual presentationof his designs, the book containstexts by international design experts thatexplain how the work was created, describeits timeless quality, and put it into a contemporarycontext.