Less, but Better
A multimedia series that educates people about the industrial designer Dieter Rams, whose unobtrusive approach continues to influence many designers today.
Format:
Poster
Booklet
Mobile App
Video
Skills:
Visual Design
UI/UX
Motion Graphics
Timeline:
12 weeks,
Spring 2021
An informational poster that introduces Rams’ work and philosophy.
Specs: 19.25 x 31.75 inches
Tools: Adobe Indesign, Photoshop
A booklet that highlights the important points in Rams’ career, and how they culminated and informed his design philosophy.
Specs: 8.25 x 10.5 inches, 16 pages with self cover, saddle-stitched
Tools: Adobe Indesign, Photoshop
A mobile companion of the booklet, highlighting Rams’ well-known product designs and his design philosophy.
Tools: Figma
Left to Right: Image gallery of some of Rams’ most renown works. The core of Rams’ design philosophy, “the 10 Principles for Good Design.” Timeline of important points in Rams’ life.
A motion graphics video introducing Rams’ approach to using colors in his products.
Tools: Adobe After Effects, Adobe Illustrator
I drew inspiration from things affiliated with Rams, such as the Vitsoe website and Braun catalogs, and the colors from Rams' products.
Iterations
A continual process of finding the right balance between too much and not enough, what story I want to tell, and how to best convey information.
Below: Poster iterations
Left to Right: (APP) Site architecture. Wireframes. Figma prototype
Adapting products into graphics
I was very inspired by the details in Rams’ products. It was really fun trying to turn them into functional visual elements in my designs.
Left to Right: Braun RT20 radio. App timeline. Braun T3 Transistor Radio. Booklet table of contents
Drawing from historical influences
During research, I dug up some old Braun catalogs from the 1950s. I especially loved this cover because it shows the influence of the De Stijl movement, which works so well with Rams’ love of straight lines and primary colors. I eventually based the grid of a spread in my booklet on a De Stijl painting.
Left to Right: Braun 1958 catalog. De Stijl painting by Theo Van Doesburg. Booklet spread
This project was a lot of firsts for me: designing and printing out a booklet, making a mobile experience through Figma prototype. I learned so many soft and hard skills. Below are a few that I found especially valuable:
01 Staying creative while adhering to a visual system
02 “Less, but better” is not achieved through putting in minimal amount of information. Rather, it is achieved through organizing complex information into something easily digestible for the user.
03 Figma smart animate is amazing.
