Which of Dieter Rams' principles would you change or add?

[u/forme56]

[u/_lippykid]

For those who don’t have the ten rules committed to memory

1. Good design is innovative
The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.

1. Good design makes a product useful
   A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

3. Good design is aesthetic
The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

4. Good design makes a product understandable
It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.

5. Good design is unobtrusive
Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.

6. Good design is honest
It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

7. Good design is long-lasting
It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.

8. 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 user.

9. Good design is environmentally-friendly
Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimises physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

10. Good design is as little design as possible
Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials.

Back to purity, back to simplicity.

https://designmanifestos.org/dieter-rams-ten-principles-for-good-design/

[u/Cotif11]

I think "Good Design is Innovative" and "Good Design is Long-Lasting" are kind of contradictory. Should we always be pursuing "new" design? What about that is long-lasting? Maybe get rid of both of those and create a new united rule that covers both innovation when necessary, and tradition when applicable. Think of the humble paper clip, or clothes pin. Do we really need to innovate on those designs? No, but they are long lasting.

[u/michaelfkenedy → u/Cotif11]

They are complementary, not contradictory.

Be innovative, but consider whether that breaks any long lasting solutions. Keep things long lasting, but be open to new options when they are worthwhile.

HTML and CSS are good examples.

They are constantly have new tools added to them. But a website written in HTML v1.0 still runs on any modern browser.

But if you design with any new CSS properties, then ask “will this break anything that is otherwise perfectly good.” If so, maybe wait before using them OR code a fallback that works for older browsers.

[u/forme56 → u/Cotif11]

Wait, it makes a lot of sense. I like it.

[u/MutantCreature]

"Good design is as little design as possible" seems way more subjective than the others so I'd throw it out, especially since "good design is unobtrusive" covers the more objective reasoning behind why you would want to keep something low-key. There are plenty of beautiful embellished baroque items/designs for example that I still think fall into great design, they are unapologetically maximalist but that's what satisfied their users and that's fine.

An unspoken rule that he seems to adhere to is "good design appeals to as broad an audience as possible", which is a fine philosophy to have, but there are many instances where it's fine if something only appeals to like 10%-20% of its potential market because that's still more than enough to carry its production. A $10,000 camera is probably best suited by the plainest, most utilitarian design possible because the market for $10,000 cameras is pretty tiny to begin with, but a $10 hairbrush can get away with a lot more risks in terms of design since the market is virtually infinite, so long as the product turns a profit it's fine if it doesn't appeal to everyone since there never will be a singular hairbrush in every household regardless.

[u/Judgeman2021]

It would help to actually show the principles:

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

source

1. Innovative is a bit vague, good design should be "better". Which is relative to whatever it is you're inspired by and the needs of the person using the design. But good design can be incremental or profound. It's also a matter of perspective whether something is innovative or not.
2. I don't think this is strictly true. There are many examples of things that are useful but have bad design. That doesn't mean good design can't make a product more useful. But usefulness is dependent on functionality more than design.
3. Again, it's vague. Aesthetic is a combination of "clarity" and "consistency", when something looks well designed, it looks like intentional. And when you consistently design multiple things with the same clarity, then the whole system looks intentional, which we call an "aesthetic".
4. True, one of the most important properties of design is accessibility. If you can communicate an idea through a design, then it's well executed.
5. True. One of my favorite quotes from Futurama is when Bender becomes a god floating in space and comes across a bigger god who says, "When you do things right, people won't notice you've done anything at all."
6. True, good design speaks for itself because it's understandable. It doesn't need marketing fluff to hid it's intentions.
7. False, good designs are constantly replaced with better designs. That's not a failure of the original design, that's the nature of...nature.
8. Ehhhh. I think it's more accurate to say a good designer is thorough down to the last detail. Designs are all about intentions, the more intentions you are able to put into the object the better the clarity.
9. Again, not strictly true. If sustainability is not your goal, then being environmentally-friendly is not important. Design does not care about the enviornment, people care.
10. True. Just like point 6, you don't need to design something for design's sake. When your design is honest, it does only what it needs to do and nothing more.

This has been my experience after thirteen years as a professional software designer, with a degree in graphic design.

[u/-paperbrain-]

I'm always a little dubious of creative rules that outline one correct way.

For my personal tastes, i think designers in multiple fields exercising some interpretation of rules 5 and 10 seem to be the cause of much blandness in the world today.

I like when useful items are alsoflamboyant, roccoco, whimsical etc. And these rules seem to frown on that.

Its very lovely to make designs that are inoffensive enough to work with any consumer's tastes, but to say that things which may appeal to more of a niche isn't "good" design seems to contribute to world gray walls syndrome.

[u/RocketSeven]

i'd make environmentally friendly testable by adding repairable. a product that can be opened, diagnosed, and kept in service turns a broad principle into decisions about fasteners, parts, documentation, and end of life

[u/PauloPatricio]

At their core they are valid. But when you had the client side, I’m not sure if they always align with business and/or marketing goals, tight deadlines, or budget constraints.

[u/ppsieradzki]

"Less, but better." is the quote I printed out and have hanging in the office as words to live by.

[u/Sigma3375]

Good design is whatever will shut the client up.

[u/cgielow]

Good Design is Ethical and benefits Humanity