Tracing Dieter Rams influence on the work of Jonathan Ive for Apple


When you look at the Braun products by Dieter Rams—many of them at New York’s MoMA—and compare them to Ive’s work at Apple, you can clearly see the similarities in their philosophies way beyond the sparse use of color, the selection of materials and how the products are shaped around the function with no artificial design, keeping the design “honest.” This passion for “simplicity” and “honest design” that is always declared by Ive whenever he’s interviewed or appears in a promo video, is at the core of Dieter Rams’ 10 principles for good design: • Good design is innovative. • Good design makes a product useful. • Good design is aesthetic. • Good design helps us to understand a product. • Good design is unobtrusive. • Good design is honest. • Good design is durable. • Good design is consequent to the last detail. • Good design is concerned with the environment. • Good design is as little design as possible. Ive’s inspiration on Rams’ design principles goes beyond the philosophy and gets straight into a direct homage to real products created decades ago. Amazing pieces of industrial design that still today remain fresh, true classics that have survived the test of time.