Books: Less and More: The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams

Heavily influenced by the German Bauhaus and Ulm School of Art, Dieter Rams pioneered a design spirit which embraced modernity and placed function above all, resulting in products that were free of decoration, simple in function and its purpose self-evident. Through his more than 40 years of work at Braun, Dieter Rams designed anything from hair dryers, cigarette lighters, loudspeakers, radios and radio-phonographs to clocks and watches. Each item holds a special place in the history of industrial design and has established Dieter Rams as one of the most influential designers of the late 20th century. With the logically-placed and spatial definition of their controls, simple forms and philosophy of functionalism, Braun products remain influential to product designers today.

Less and More elucidates the design philosophy of Dieter Rams. The book contains images of hundreds of Rams’s products as well as his sketches and models – from Braun stereo systems and electric shavers to the chairs and shelving systems that he created for Vitsoe and sold by sdr+. In addition to the rich visual presentation of his designs, the book contains new texts by international design experts that explain how the work was created, describe its timeless quality, and put it into current context. In this way, the work of Dieter Rams is given a contemporary reevaluation that is especially useful in light of the rediscovery of functionalism and rationalism in today’s design. Less and More shows us the possibilities that design opens for both the manufacturer and the consumer as a means of making our lives better through attractive, functional solutions that also save resources.

Read more: Ten principles of “good design”

Less and More is edited by Professor Klaus Klemp and Keiko Ueki-Polet. One of the world’s leading experts in the field of product design, Klemp has been acquainted with Dieter Rams for many years and is an authority on his work. Ueki-Polet is one of Japan’s most renowned design curators. She is well acquainted with design developments in both Asia and the Western world and works at the Suntory Museum in Osaka.

Less and More: The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams, Editors: Klaus Klemp, Keiko Ueki-Polet, German/English, 19 × 23 cm, 808 pages, full color, PVC cover, in slipcase
ISBN: 978-3-89955-277-5

Buy it here: Amazon or Gestalten

Ottoman by Noé Duchaufour Lawrance for ligne roset

ligne roset has presented a new armchair and sofa designed by Noé Duchaufour Lawrance at imm Cologne.

Ottoman Armchair, Ottoman 3-seater, by Noé Duchaufour Lawrance, for ligne roset

Sen by Nicolas Gwenael for Agape

Brushed anodized aluminium taps available in grey or black finish, with autonomous controls, to match accessories in the range by the same name. The Sen system includes wall-mounted taps, a flexible hand shower, a shower column, surface-mounted taps and floor-mounted spouts. The accessories include holders for small objects in various sizes, a soap dispenser and towel holder. Suitable for use with the bathtub, washbasin or sanitary fittings, Sen stamps its distinctive mark on any space in which it is fitted.

Sen, by Nicolas Gwenael, Curiosity, for Agape

Forest of Woods by Mark Giglio

Different types of scrap wood turned into a forest.

Forest of Woods, by Mark Giglio, Pen Pencil Stencil

DG house by Geneto Studio

The composition was decided by associating the client’s “scenes of daily life”, with the context being thought from the site and laying it out in three dimensions. Some private rooms are on the ground floor and the second floor is made as one big room, dividing each space with furniture. In DG House the studio thought of furniture as volumes to produce various areas rather than functional furniture. The structured volumes are made with a 24mm plywood frame. It can be seen as one mass as it has been painted black, keeping the feeling of wood when it is viewed closely.

DG house, Tokyo, Japan, by Geneto Studio
via: designboom

Kodak Bantam Special by Walter Dorwin Teague

Product design agency Teague, has an interesting post on the Kodak Bantam Special. Considered an icon in the classic design style of the 1930’s, the camera was designed by Walter Dorwin Teague in 1936. The Bantam Special is one of the finest examples of art-deco styling applied to any camera design. The Bantam Special had a 1937 list price of $110.00, targeting the affluent and fashionable set.

Kodak Bantam Special, by Walter Dorwin Teague for Kodak

VitraHaus by Herzog & de Meuron

VitraHaus by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, has recently opened at the Vitra Campus. VitraHaus joins two other buildings in this area, the Vitra Design Museum by Frank Gehry (1989) and the Conference Pavilion by Tadao Ando (1993). The concept of the VitraHaus connects two themes that appear repeatedly in the oeuvre of Herzog & de Meuron: the theme of the archetypal house and the theme of stacked volumes.

VitraHaus, Weil am Rhein, Germany, by Herzog & de Meuron, for Vitra.

Tsu Tsu by Soichiro Nomiyama & Hiroki Tsuji

Soichiro Nomiyama & Hiroki Tsuji have designed a set of stackable vessels made from very thin porcelain. Tsu Tsu is made in Arita, the traditional center pottery-making in Japan.

Tsu Tsu, by Soichiro Nomiyama & Hiroki Tsuji

Jalis by Jehs+Laub for COR

Jalis is the magical word from the Orient for hospitality and relaxed communication with family members or friends. In any circumstances, for any living area. Cushions side by side, stories one after another. This is how oases of well-being–and favourite sofas–come about. Special upholstery provides support and fabulous comfort. Another secret? The Patio cover fabric with ornaments woven into it. Only becoming visible when the incidence of light changes, its patterns assume the appearance of fine embroidery. Jalis can float, rest on pedestals, integrate or highlight tables, change levels, and incorporate niches and floor recesses.

Jalis, by Jehs+Laub, for COR

Sailing Yacht by Claesson Koivisto Rune

Most Yacht interiors steer toward the traditional, Claesson Koivisto Rune have designed a sleek modern space with a high water mark.

Sailing Yacht, by Claesson Koivisto Rune