TEN COMMANDMENTS

No one could argue that Dieter Rams has had a profound influence on many contemporary designers. You can find an array of his designs not only living in peoples homes, but immortalized in museums all over the world. Chief of design at Braun for more than thirty years; he has created some beautiful products, under the incantation 'weniger, aber besser' - less, but more. If you're not familiar with his work, I urge you to go find some.

How would you define good design? I often ask myself - 'Am I really a graphic designer. Have I just blagged my way through. Soon to be caught out as the fraud I really am?'... I hope not.

Dieter Rams - knowing that such things can't be measured in a finite way - constructed what he thought to be the ten basic principles of good design.

Good design:

• is innovative
• makes a product useful
• is aesthetic
• makes a product understandable
• is unobtrusive
• is honest
• is long-lasting
• is thorough down to the last detail
• is environmentally friendly
• is as little design as possible