Less, but
better.
Good design is as little design as possible. It concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials.
Good design is innovative.
Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology.
Progression
Simplification through technology. From bulky components to integrated circuits, form follows the shrinking of tech.
Good design makes a product useful.
A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic.
Good design is aesthetic.
The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being.
Good design makes a product understandable.
It clarifies the product's structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.
Good design is unobtrusive.
Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained.
Good design is honest.
It does not make a product appear more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.
Good design is long-lasting.
It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today's throwaway society.
Good design is thorough down to the last detail.
Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the user.
Good design is environmentally-friendly.
Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution.
Good design is as little design as possible.
Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.
Key Definitions
Innovative Design
Design that develops in tandem with innovative technology; simplification through progress.
Utility
The quality of being useful; ensuring a product satisfies functional, psychological, and aesthetic criteria.
Aesthetics
The visual appeal of a product, which is integral to its usefulness and affects user well-being.
Understandability
Design that clarifies the product's structure and makes it self-explanatory (intuitive).
Unobtrusive Design
Design that is neutral and restrained, leaving room for the user's self-expression (tool-like).
Honesty
Design that does not manipulate the consumer or appear more powerful/valuable than it is.
Timelessness
Design that avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated; long-lasting.
Thoroughness
Precision and accuracy in the design process; nothing is arbitrary or left to chance.
Sustainability
Design that conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution.
Minimalism
"Less, but better." Concentrating on essential aspects and removing non-essentials.