Just Simple

A few weeks ago I found this cartoon from the 1970′s explaining design to the public. The film explains the importance of design and how it improves everyday life. It also explains the pitfalls of bad and impractical design.

It’s interesting for me, that the ideas behind design haven’t changed that much since the 1970′s. In fact most of what it is said in the video can be compared to Donald Norman’s “Emotional Design”. Design should be functional but also aesthetically pleasing. It’s a pretty interesting video and worth watching.

I never use this term: Form follows function

- Dieter Rams

Dieter Rams is an industrial designer whose works in closely associated Braun. Rams explains his designs though one term “Less, but better“. While studying at TAFE I had learnt if you could explain your ideas and design philosophy through one sentence, it is a mark of a truly great designer.

Perhaps it is time to break out of the mediocrity shell.

Dieter Rams explains his design philosophy through 10 simple design principals:

1. Good design is innovative
2. Good design makes a product useful
3. Good design is aesthetic
4. Good design makes a product understandable
5. Good design is unobtrusive
6. Good design is honest
7. Good design is long-lasting
8. Good design is thorough down to the last detail
9. Good design is environmentally friendly
10. Good design is as little design as possible

More on Dieter Rams:

Design Boom interview

Youtube Video (Much better quality)

More in depth explanation of Ram’s Design Principals

I recently found an interesting film about industrial design. It talks about how we have interacted with objects over the years and how it may change within the future as we draw away from archetypes. The documentry is interesting and worth a look if your interested in interaction.

Objectified does bring up some good points about bad design. I often wonder why we put up with bad design in programs such as mircosoft word and excel. Although both programs come from the same family neither follow a pattern I can easily understand. Everytime I have opened the software a new menu always seems to come up instead of the same menu I am use to.

This documentry made me think about the objects I use everyday in my life. Most seem seamless, such as my bag and wallet.

Here’s a small clip from the movie about Apple:

“The only important thing about design is how it relates to people.”

- Victor Papanek