As Little Design as Possible is the definitive monograph on Dieter Rams, tracing the full arc of a design philosophy that shaped the objects of the twentieth century and continues to set the standard for considered, human-centred product design.
About This Book
Rams spent thirty-four years as head of design at Braun, producing objects so resolved that many are still manufactured today. This monograph moves beyond product catalogues to situate his work within its intellectual context — the ideas about how people live and how design might serve that life more honestly. With a foreword by Jonathan Ive, former chief design officer of Apple, the book addresses Rams's work for both Braun and Vitsoe, his design philosophy, and the lectures through which he became one of the discipline's most consequential advocates. For students of industrial design, product design, and design history, it is the essential primary source.
Key Features
- 400 pages of detailed biographical text, design sketches, prototype photography, finished product photography, and specially commissioned images of Rams's house and the Braun archive
- Foreword by Jonathan (Jony) Ive, former chief design officer of Apple
- Case studies encompassing Rams's designs for Braun and Vitsoe, with archival material drawn from the world's most complete collection of his work
- Published by Phaidon, 2021
What You'll Discover
- The intellectual and cultural context in which Rams developed his ten principles of good design, and how those principles translated into specific product decisions
- The design process behind Braun's most iconic objects, documented through original sketches and prototype photography rarely gathered in a single volume
- Rams's role as a public advocate for design — his lectures and writings examined alongside his commercial output
- An exclusive view of Rams's private house and the Braun archive, revealing the domestic and institutional worlds that sustained his practice
About the Author
[Details available upon request]
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 400
- Dimensions: 28.2 x 21.3 x 4.1 cm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781838669096
- Publisher: Phaidon
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Industrial and product designers, design historians, students of modernism, and anyone serious about understanding how design philosophy translates into enduring objects.