I’m a big fan of Dieter Rams, so much so that I have even dedicated an entire article here at Design Sojourn to his design philosophy. Therefore, I was quite excited to watch this rare interview of everyone’s favorite Design Meister by Fast Co Design.
If you can’t see the video please click on this link.
At Design Sojourn, I have long supported the premise of having a designer in the boardroom. So it is no surprise to find out that Rams had actually pioneered this concept while working at Braun. Essentially, Rams believes that great products come from a firm partnership between the Entrepreneur (the Business) and Designer.
Other pleasant surprises shared during the interview include, applications of his theories of good design in comments like “Less but Better”; and his story about how Philippe Starck cornered him at a party and instead of a hello, told him how Apple has stolen his designs! Rams the consummate gentleman replied, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
What struck me after watching the interview, was that Dieter Rams was not only a strategic designer (i.e. working with business at a very high level), his philosophy and the stories about the way he approaches design, proves he was a gifted designer as well. This is an awesome duality that all designers should strive to follow.
Check out the rest of the videos at Fast Co Design. It is a little annoying how they cut up all the videos in to short segments, probably to prevent people from lifting the entire content from their site. A good watch if you can move past the start and stop.
Original Post: http://www.designsojourn.com/a-rare-interview-with-the-master-of-good-design-dieter-rams/
