Good design is thorough down to the last detail - Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.
Dieter RamsRead
Design should not dominate things, should not dominate people. It should help people. That's its role.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Design should enhance and assist human experience rather than overwhelm it.
This quote by Dieter Rams emphasizes the role of design as a supportive tool for individuals rather than a controlling force. It suggests that good design should prioritize the needs and experiences of people, facilitating their interactions with objects and environments without becoming an intrusive or dominating aspect of their lives.
Themes
DesignPeopleExperienceSupportFunctionality
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation about user-centered design principles.
More from Dieter Rams
All quotes βMy goal is to omit everything superfluous so that the essential is shown to best possible advantage.
Dieter RamsRead
You cannot understand good design if you do not understand people; design is made for people.
Dieter RamsRead
Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.
Dieter RamsRead
My heart belongs to the details. I actually always found them to be more important than the big picture. Nothing works without details. They are everything, the baseline of quality.
Dieter RamsRead
Things which are different in order simply to be different are seldom better, but that which is made to be better is almost always different.
Dieter RamsRead
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Form must never trump function. Some objects are made to look so smooth, you don't know where to pick them up or how to turn them on. If I'm designing a garlic press or cheese grater, I need my hand to fit comfortably on it. I like to know, instinctively, how to use it.
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Often the most important moment in the design process is figuring out what the right question is.
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It is sad that so many designers don't know how to make. CAD software can make a bad design look palatable! It is sad that four years can be spent on a 3D design course without making anything! People who are great at designing and making have a great advantage.
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Goal we've always had for design at Apple is to create solutions that are inevitable.
Jonathan IveRead