debauhaus1-9, Exercise 2: Rams and "less, but better"

Model answer:

Dieter Rams was a designer at the electrical company Braun from the mid-1950s and its head of design from 1961 (check the dates). His approach is summed up in the phrase "less, but better" (in German, "weniger, aber besser"): remove what is not needed, and make what remains as good as possible. He later set out ten principles of good design, including that good design is innovative, useful, aesthetic, unobtrusive, honest, long-lasting and as little design as possible (check the list and the date it was written).

An example: the SK 4 radio-phonograph of 1956, with its plain case and clear lid, credited to Dieter Rams together with Hans Gugelot (check the credit and the date). Others include Braun's shavers, clocks and hi-fi equipment.

The caution about attribution: Braun's products were made by teams of designers, engineers and managers, and attributing a product to one person is a simplification. Which person designed which element, and who deserves credit, is sometimes disputed, so check a museum catalogue or a company history before stating it as fact.