Dieter Rams

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Professor Dieter Rams at the 50th Anniversary of Braun Innovation exhibition, Boston 2005

Dieter Rams (born May 20, 1932 in Wiesbaden) is a German industrial designer closely associated with the consumer products company Braun. He is regarded as one of the most influential industrial designers in the 20th century.

After World War II, Rams studied Architecture at the Ulmer Werkkunstschule Wiesbaden as well as learning carpentry. After working for the architect Otto Apel between 1953 and 1955 he joined the electronic devices manufacturer Braun where he became chief of design in 1961, a position he kept until 1995.

Rams once explained his design approach in the phrase "Weniger, aber besser" which freely translates as "Less, but better." Rams and his staff designed many memorable products for Braun including the famous SK-4 record player and the high-quality 'D'-series (D45, D46) of 35mm film slide projectors. He is also known for designing the 606 Universal Shelving System by Vitsœ in 1960.

Many of his designs — wonderfully sleek coffee makers, calculators, radios, audio/visual equipment, consumer appliances and office products — have found a permanent home at many museums over the world, including MoMA in New York. For nearly 30 years Dieter Rams served as head of design for Braun A.G. until his retirement in 1998. He continues to be a legend in design circles and most recently designed a cover for Wallpaper magazine.

It is speculated that Rams' designs have been influential on Jonathan Ive of Apple, Inc., designer of such products as the iMac, iPod, and iPhone.^[1]

[edit] Examples of Rams' works

Dieter Rams' design principles	The TS 45, TG 60 and L 450 designed by Dieter Rams for Braun (Germany, 1964/1965)	Designed by Dieter Rams + Hans Gugelot	Braun Diskus Penlight Torch
Limited Edition cover for Wallpaper Magazine by Dieter Rams