Originally published in Lumiblade Insider #2
Dieter Rams’ principles of good design are fundamentals of the rhetoric of design. Originally developed for his own field of work, his “ten commandments” can also be applied to the world of lighting.
What makes for good design? A question designers all over the world ask themselves daily. What criteria do I apply when selecting designs, and what are the parameters for the creation of timeless designs?
“An impenetrable confusion of forms, colors, and noises.” That’s what Dieter Rams, possibly Germany’s most famous industrial designer and architect, thought of the world around him back in the 1970s. As Chief Design Officer at Braun, he designed products whose language of form can still be found in many other products today. “Let Rams do it,” Erwin Braun once said – a good decision!
To this day, Dieter Rams’ work has lost nothing of its relevance. On the contrary, in a world cloaked in planned obsolescence that brings forth noisy products and even noisier marketing, Rams’ principles are even more relevant than ever. They give reason to scrutinize design and to reduce it to its essentials.
The list of parameters that Rams drew up back then encompasses 10 principles which are still celebrated as guidelines and inspirations, and as an “acid test” of design concepts. They can, of course, also be applied to the world of lighting design.
We have selected 10 exemplary OLED products and installations that clearly espouse Rams’ principles:
3) IRIS
4) OMLED
5) Sail
6) Aeroliner3000
7) Light Cloud
8) Neue Aargauer Bank
9) K Blade
10) LIMIT™ & PETAL™
In the coming weeks, we will cross-examine the features of OLED light with the principles of good design. Stay tuned! In the meantime you are more than welcome to look around on our Solutions page and explore the different possibilities with OLED light.
