Dieter Rams

According to Dieter Rams. A Style Room / Museum Angewandte Kunst, in 1947 he began studying interior decoration at the Wiesbaden School of Arts and Crafts.^1,2 According to Vitsœ, after studying interior design, Rams trained as an architect during the early 1950s reconstruction of Germany.² According to Vitsœ, Rams and photographer Ingeborg Rams established the Rams Foundation in 1992.²

According to Wallpaper*, while leading Braun appliance design in the late 1950s, he also began furniture work for the then little-known Vitsoe + Zapf.³ According to GQ, the 606 Universal Shelving System was introduced in 1960.^1,4 According to Design Museum, the Boilerhouse Project, established by the Conran Foundation in 1981, held a Dieter Rams exhibition during its five years.⁵

According to Dieter Rams. A Style Room / Museum Angewandte Kunst, the Museum Angewandte Kunst opened a Dieter Rams Style Room on the occasion of his 85th birthday.^1,6 According to Dieter Rams. A Style Room / Museum Angewandte Kunst, the Museum Angewandte Kunst's Rams Style Room includes Braun designs, the 606 shelving system and a lounge chair visitors may use.¹ According to Dieter Rams. A Style Room / Museum Angewandte Kunst, Museum Angewandte Kunst rearranged its Rams Style Room in 2022 to display his designs alongside Ingeborg Rams's photographs.¹

According to Dieter Rams. A Style Room / Museum Angewandte Kunst, Rams gave a 2011 lecture in Hong Kong titled "Design for a More Humane Environment," with quotes displayed in the Museum Angewandte Kunst visitors' book.¹ According to Dieter Rams. A Style Room / Museum Angewandte Kunst, the Wiesbaden school's curriculum incorporated elements of Bauhaus teaching.¹ According to Vitsœ, the 606 shelving was designed to fit alongside the Braun Audio 1 compact hi-fi system.^1,2,4

Vitsœ says the 620 Chair Programme received German copyright protection in 1965.² According to Vitsœ, their house is listed by the Hessen monument office and is protected through the Rams Foundation.² According to Wallpaper*, the ADI Design Museum in Milan presented the exhibition "Dieter Rams. A look back and ahead" until 11 June 2023.⁶

According to Museum Angewandte Kunst, Rams created over 350 designs for Braun and Vitsœ in the second half of the 20th century.^6,7 According to The New Yorker, Rams's 1995 book is titled "Less, but better".⁸ According to The New Yorker, an exhibition "Dieter Rams: Principled Design" was held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through April 2019.⁸

According to The New Yorker, Rams trained as an architect before joining Braun in 1955.^2,8 According to The New Yorker, Erwin and Artur Braun managed Braun when Rams joined the company.^8,9 According to The New Yorker, Dieter Rams worked for Braun beginning in 1955 after training as an architect.^2,8 According to Wallpaper*, Rams headed a Braun appliance-design team in the late 1950s.³

According to Museum Angewandte Kunst, Rams's approach continues to influence emerging generations of designers today.^1,7 According to Museum Angewandte Kunst, Museum Angewandte Kunst and Vitsœ characterize Rams's work as influential on later industrial designers.^1,2,7 According to Vitsœ, Vitsœ and the Frankfurt museum describe him as among the most influential industrial designers of the twentieth century, still shaping younger designers.^1,2,7

According to Klaus Klemp, the "Less and More" exhibition in Osaka, curated by Klaus Klemp about 15 years before the interview, was a defining moment in presenting Rams's work.⁹ According to Klaus Klemp, during the 1950s Braun's small team gave designers direct contact with the founder's sons and art historian Fritz Eichler.⁹ The Braun KF 40, designed by Hartwig Kahlcke, is still sold today according to Klaus Klemp.⁹

According to Klaus Klemp, in the 1960s functionalism in architecture and design drew criticism for being considered emotionless.⁹ According to Dieter Rams (as quoted by Vitsœ), Rams began developing a storage system in 1957 that formed the basis of Vitsœ, founded in 1959.^2,3 According to Vitsœ, Rams is described as one of the most influential industrial designers of the 20th century.^2,4,7

Rams advocated design that serves people and conserves resources, according to Vitsœ's account of his principles.^2,6 According to Dieter Rams, Dieter Rams maintained that design should actively improve the world rather than chase transient fashion.^2,6 Rams has said designers should always strive to improve the world.⁶

According to The New Yorker, a New Yorker assessment of the documentary Rams suggests admiration for his products can coexist with consumption that conflicts with his restraint-oriented message.⁸ According to Dieter Rams, Rams described his design ethos with the phrase “less, but better.”.^7,8 Rams says 'less, but better' is not a constraint but an advantage giving more space for real life.⁸