Dieter Rams: So wenig Design wie möglich

Dieter Rams is one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. Even those who may not know his name have undoubtedly used one of the many hundreds of products he designed, such as radios, clocks, lighters, juicers, or shelves. He is renowned not only for this vast array of aesthetically pleasing objects but also for his forward-thinking ideas about the proper function of design in the often chaotic, uncontrollable world we live in today. He summarized his thoughts in ten theses on design, the last of which states: Good design is as little design as possible.

This comprehensive monograph brings together Rams' life and work with these very thoughts on good design that continue to inspire designers worldwide. The foreword by Jonathan Ive evokes the influence of Dieter Rams on his own work and thus on a product line that accompanies so many of us in our daily lives.

All aspects of Rams' life and work are illuminated: his 40 years at Braun (over 30 of which he spent as chief designer), his enduring product line for the furniture manufacturer Vits, his remarkable, personal house – incidentally, his only completed architectural project – and his significant influence on today's leading designers. Each chapter includes sketches, prototypes, the finished product, and its marketing materials, creating a complete picture of Rams' work and its context.

Furthermore, this elegantly designed book showcases exclusive photographs of Dieter Rams' house and from the Braun archives, providing insight into the previously inaccessible, most comprehensive collection of Dieter Rams' design.