HBL Book of the Week: Less and More

Wednesday 31 August 2011

ABR 21 Signal Radio by Dieter Rams & Dietrich Lubs, 1978


Dieter Rams is one of the most important designers of the 20th century. Alongside Dietrich Lubs, he was instrumental in shaping the future of electronic design during his tenure as chief of design at Braun from 1961-1995, transforming the anonymous grey box into an object of desire - and providing one of the main influences for Jonathan Ives' work to date at Apple.

606 Universal Shelving System by Dieter Rams for Vitsoe


Less and More: the Design Ethos of Dieter Rams (Die Gestalten Verlag, 2010) provides a comprehensive guide to Rams' long and varied career, covering all of his designs for Braun as well as the still-successful 606 Universal Shelving System for Vitsoe. An exhibition curated in conjunction with the book runs at San Francisco's MOMA until February 20, 2012.

HBL loves: with Rams' work providing a key reference point for spring/summer 2013 macrotrend Story of Now, take the opportunity to reflect on Rams' timeless design approach, based on ten strict rules including "good design is as little design as possible".