Good Design is Good Design is Good Design

I have been reading once again Dieter Rams' 10 Principles For Good Design, written about 40 years ago. I am impressed that they hold true today. We talk about our world which is rapidly changing rapidly around us and the astounding speed at which new technology permeates our lives. So how can these principles respond so well to new situations?

Back in the late 1970s, industrial designer, Dieter Rams was becoming increasingly concerned by the state of the world around him which he said was: “An impenetrable confusion of forms, colors and noises.” Therefore, he began a process of self-evaluation, asking himself the all-important question: "is my design good design? " For the answer, Rams focused on the essence of design and developed 10 guideposts.  He does not judge differently the results of graphic, product or other types of designs. Criteria are common across the board.  The process of design is at the crux of the matter, which embodies analysis, critique, and seeking improvement. The other aspect that keeps his principles relevant today is that they are developed thinking about the people who will use and interact with the designs.

Here are the 10 principles:

By using Dieter Rams 10 principles, we are taking a strategic step forward toward good design. And in an ever-changing world, a strategy that is applicable to different media, different fields and for different outcomes is necessary. We have moved from simply judging the appearance of things to talking about performance, in a broad sense. Good design is useful, aesthetic, honest, environmentally friendly... Achieving these requires having a point of view, an ethos, a strategy, and a belief that good design can truly make a difference.