10 Principles to 10x Your Design Work
Saturday 26th August 2023
Hello friends,
I do not approach the world of furniture design as art. Making pieces in complex and weird shapes is satisfying as a craftsman, but when I design my pieces, I want them to fit into a modern home. For me, high-quality woodwork should be part of modern interior design, not just reserved for galleries and museums and old churches.
So I frequently turn to Dieter Rams’ Ten principles of good design as a set of guidelines when developing a clean, modern aesthetic. I have written some accompanying questions for each principle to help my structure my thinking, and I wanted to share both this week.
1/ Good design is innovative
This doesn’t have to be groundbreaking, but how can you celebrate your craft and your material in a new way?
2/ Good design makes a product useful
What is the purpose and function of this particular piece? Does it serve that purpose? Does it fulfil this function?
3/ Good design is aesthetic
How can you make your product well proportioned, visually appealing and emotionally engaging? How do you ‘feel’ when you look at the piece? Is there anything jarring or out-of-place?
4/ Good design makes a product understandable
Is your product easy to understand? Is there an obvious reason why it is designed as it is?
5/ Good design is unobtrusive
Does the design celebrate a clean, purposeful aesthetic, or is there something of an ‘ego’ that is trying to get through? Is the design taking up more of the ‘visual space’ in the room than it needs to?
6/ Good design is honest
Is your design trying to be something it isn’t?
7/ Good design is long-lasting
Is your piece timeless? Will your piece still be desirable in a hundred years time or is there something about it that is ‘fashionable’? Will it complement other pieces - old and new- that might already be in the home?
8/ Good design is thorough down to the last detail
Have you considered every aspect of your product, including its construction, materials, and finish? Is the back as good as the front?
9/ Good design is environmentally friendly
Have you designed with sustainability in mind, including material selection and end-of-life?
10/ Good design is as little design as possible
Can you speak to every element of your design - every chamfer and curve and detail, and say why you put them in? What do they do to the overall look or functionality of the piece? Does every element display a clear purpose?
A question of philosophy
These principles for me tie in with the Ancient Greek concept of virtue:
“The Greek word for virtue is 'ARETE'. For the Greeks, the notion of virtue is tied to the notion of function (ERGON). The virtues of something are what enable it to perform excellently its proper function. Virtue (or arete) extends beyond the realm of morality; it concerns the excellent performance of any function.” Prof. Sally Haslanger, MIT *
So when thinking of a design, I consider of the virtue of the piece. How can I make each table be the best table it can be? How can I make sure that it remains a table, and doesn’t try to become a sculpture instead?
An outworking, I suppose, of the key modernist philosophy: form follows function.
Of course, once you know the rules, you can deliberately break them.
But that is a topic for another day.
Until then, stay sharp friends,
~sh
*For a link to the whole article, click here:
https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/24-200-ancient-philosophy-fall-2004/340916a74de1775088445f199f778388_greekvirtueshort.pdf