This week we watched another documentary about a famous designer, this time Dieter Rams, who is well known for his 10 Rules of Design and his work at Braun and Vitsoe. Rams’ follows a philosophy of how well-designed products should blend into the background of the home and not consist of any details that could be a distraction, if effect, they should be an integrated part of the house rather than stand-alone. I understand his reasoning, but this isn’t necessarily something I would subscribe to. I really love products that stand out and are beautiful in their own right; perfume bottles, an ornate mirror, a patterned sofa. Rams’ designs strip this back and subscribe to the concept of minimalism, however, this version of minimalism is based on typically masculine ideals (which makes sense, given the original Braun design team comprised solely of men…). Minimalism relates quite strongly to my assignment topic, so I’ll save that one for a later blog post.
After Braun, Rams moved on to designing for Vitsoe, which I have visited in Leamington Spa. As I’ve previously expressed, I’m not a fan of their products. I find them plain at best and unattractive at worst. However, I do understand why someone else would enjoy them, as my own vision of what makes an attractive product can differ wildly from someone else’s (and indeed, often does). However, what I find unforgivable about them is the price point. The most basic Vitsoe chair, without any of the bells and whistles, will cost you £3200, although its design is fundamentally very simple and straightforward, based on Rams’ 10 Rules of Design:
I am a fan of these rules, and believe they are definitely something important to consider when designing a new product, even if they are a bit idealistic . But as good as they are, they completely fail to meet one crucial aspect of designing for real people. This brings me to my own 11th rule of design, one which I believe is often overlooked by many designers, and this is:
11. Good design is accessible
A product can be innovative, aesthetically pleasing, useful, and meticulous to the last detail, but I fundamentally believe that all this is lost if a product is not accessible to the masses. I don’t think it’s good enough to make an amazing product that only a small amount of the population is able to use. This is my problem with Rams and his opinions of what does and doesn’t make a ‘good design’. What it essentially tells us is that, unless your purchases abide by these rules, they’re bad. Indeed, I wouldn’t have a problem with a chair costing £3200 if it didn’t try to masquerade as a superior product that everyone should strive to own based on an arbitrary set of rules.
Designers are fortunate enough to be in the unique position to create real change in the world. I don’t think the right way to make this change is to shame the 99% of people who can’t afford your seemingly superior and yet subjective products. It’s instead to create products that follow these rules to an extent but don’t overlook the majority of the population.
Morven
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