ABC’s of Products: D is for Dieter Rams

Jul 18, 2012

Who is Dieter Rams

Dieter Rams is one of the most important industrial designers of the twentieth century. He has designed or co-designed over 500 products (appliances, hi-fi systems, furniture, shavers, and many more) that were (some still are) produced and sold all over the world. Many of these products are considered masterpieces now. It is unlikely that someone could have lived through the latter part of 1900’s without having used, touched, or seen a product by Dieter Rams.

Not only was Dieter a phenomenal designer, he was also a great people’s person and influencer. At Braun, he built great relationships with the owners of the company, handpicked the people for his design department, and led them for forty years creating more than 1,000 products for Braun.

Why is Dieter Rams Important Today?

Dieter Ram’s design ethos (Less but Better) still shapes and affects the designs of today. Many of Dieter Rams products look like they could belong with the Apple family. If you had not known better, you would have thought some of Dieter Rams’ products came after the mac or iPod. In fact, Dieter Rams probably had a lot of indirect influence on Apple products, as Jonathan Ives (chief designer at Apple) grew up being inspired by Dieter’s products.

Dieter Ram’s design ethos will continue to impact young designers, influencing the way they think about products, technology, and user experience, among other subjects.