An Ode to Dieter Rams

We’ve all seen the sexy orange book on everyone’s shelf, and yes it’s a *very* sexy book. But WHO is this Dieter Rams guy? It wasn’t until I actually did some digging that I found out why everyone has his book - apart from it being sexy. Dieter Rams was a former Braun designer in their golden years, and designed to this day some of the nicest looking products you will ever see. Jonny Ive was very inspired with his work and you can tell from the products he designed when he was at Apple. Rams has a famous quote “As little design as possible” which is a very applicable quote for UX. Ironically, his Complete Works book was the main inspiration for my portfolio last year - bright orange, cool typeface, trying to be the coolest kid on the block. However that portfolio was failing me. I over-designed it. So I went back to the drawing board and thought “As little design as possible.” I think it’s clear that Rams’s work was a big influence on my current portfolio, and I now use my orange colour as an accent - which is a double homage. His works inspired me to continue working on my craft every day, to be the best designer I can be. And yes, I too have the sexy book on my shelf. Not only because it’s sexy, but because his attention to detail and craft is what I strive for.