Some Great Examples of Design that follow Dieter Rams’ 10 Design principles.
I will definitely not forget the 10 principles of design.
Design is in all facets of our lives. Whether we know it or not, design is everywhere. However, not all design is good design. Some bad design examples are pant labels, raise your mental hand if you thought you were being bit by a mosquito but in reality, it was just your stupid pant label tickling your behind. The man, the myth, the legend, Dieter Rams laid some principles for designers to follow to make their product design untouchable. You cannot go two feet without seeing his principles when designing products. Let's look at some products that adhere to one or more principles laid out by Dieter Rams!
Good design is innovative: The iPhone.
On its launch in 2007 people immediately realized the innovation that it aimed to bring into reality. New user interfaces on a multi-touch screen, web browsing, multimedia, and GPS navigation to name a few were made available at our fingertips! However, its functionality is enhanced by the introduction of the AppStore, which allowed 3rd party software developers to go crazy with the hardware that was inside the iPhone. Overall, the iPhone is considered the most innovative technology in the 21st century which laid down the format on how all smartphones should be based upon. As a result, this won't be the last Apple product you’ll see in the list.
Good design makes a product useful: TukTuk/CNG
In Dhaka and most of Southern Asia it's impossible not to see a CNG/TukTuk. It has a two-stroke engine powered by either Compressed Natural Gas, Unleaded Petrol, or Electricity in some parts of the world as well. It is mostly used to carry passengers around the tight city streets to avoid traffic on the main roads. However, it's so useful that you can often see people carrying small loads of cargo on the back whilst the passenger has enough room in the front to sit with the driver. The size allows it to navigate the tighter areas of Dhaka in which public announcements are made.
Good design is aesthetic: Lamborghini Sesto Elemento
The interior and exterior of cars always focus on functionality rather than vanity. Indeed, there are great designs to be made by pursuing functionality but it is our human desire to surround ourselves with beauty. The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento has an exterior co-designed by Boeing to look jaw-dropping. The interior was designed to save weight and offer superior functionality while being a work of art. This is truly a great example of automotive design.
Good design makes a product understandable: Apple Airpods
Yes, another Apple product! When you first open and turn on your AirPods, your iPhone will automatically detect it. Boom done! Your AirPods are now ready to use. Its simplicity in design is much more complex which enables users to use it right out of the box, with no need to fumble around the Bluetooth menu and wait precious minutes for it to connect.
Good design is unobtrusive: Tong er dokan / Tea stalls
The streets of Dhaka are littered with some great examples of design. They are so great in fact that we don't notice them until we start looking for them. Tongs or Tea stalls are almost everywhere. They are not decorative or works of art but they do fill a great need for people. Cheap snacks, teas, and cigarettes anything an on-the-go person might need can be found in those stalls.
Good design is honest. KitchenAid Stand Mixer
Every single culinary Youtuber has at least one of those. Truth be told these are quite expensive but why don't the YouTubers just use a cheaper stand mixer? Well, this is not just a stand mixer but a grinder, food processor, meat grinder, and pasta maker all in one durable long-lasting package! They are not aiming to further innovate these functions and make promises that they cannot keep, for example, this stand mixer will not cook the food for you! It just does what it needs to do properly with no fuss.
Good design is long-lasting: Zippo Lighters
These were invented in 1932! Even now they are still used and quite famous among smokers, campers, and people who need to light stuff on fire. Zippo’s design is extremely simple; it's just a bit of metal filled with a wick and some fuel. I have a zippo lighter that still flicks open and makes the same noise when it does so in 2023 where I bought it in 2017! Surprisingly they also retain their value over time as well. All in all, this has a hallmark of really good design.
Good design is thorough down to the last detail: iOS
I won’t be surprised to see that in the big donut where Apple does their designing, they have a shrine where all of Apple’s designers worship Dieter Rams. iOS is a prime example of thoroughness to the last detail. It does have some customizability after iOS 15 but it offers way more in terms of software stability, user-friendliness, and functionality. Indeed, they release features later than competitors but Apple does intensive testing and fool-proofing before they launch their features so that their customers can experience peerless software.
Good design is environmentally friendly: Sonali Bag
Dieter Rams made this one of the principles of design before it was cool! Honestly, we need to make sure that the things we use in our daily lives don't negatively affect the world. Sonali Bag aims to do just that, whatever we end up buying is always put in a plastic bag, and after that, we throw away the bag and forget about its existence. This plastic bag is not going to go away anytime soon. The plastic bag as a product of design is quite great in its own right, it's durable, honest, and long-lasting however, it's not environmentally friendly. Sonali Bag takes the design and adds the one thing the plastic bag needs, biodegradability. Now we can truly forget about the bag's existence after we’ve used it without harming the environment in any way!
Good design is as little design as possible: Cast Iron Pan
This pan, which is a favorite amongst chefs of all proficiency, was invented back in the 5th Century BC and it is still used and made today, with very few revisions from a design that was made 1000s of years ago. This was even before Dieter Rams came up with the 10 principles of design. Some of the oldest pans in existence today have been passed down from generation to generation and they are 500 years old or more! This has very little design, it's just a handle with some indents on the side for fluids to fall out of and people use it every day to make food in it!
Written by Muqaddim Jawad Noor
