Review: Ten Principles of Good Design by Dieter Rams
Get lost in the pages of a good book—it’s the soul of any room.
Dieter Rams, 20th-century design legend and guiding force behind ‘the Braun look’, once said, “My worry is that the world is becoming more chaotic every day. My excitement is that more people paying attention to ‘less but better’ could help solve our growing problems.” It’s this credo that underpins this compelling reference book for Rams devotees – and anyone who calls themselves a designer.
A monumental volume at 416 pages with 400 illustrations, its 13 sections (plus bibliography) include 100 iconic products designed over the designer’s 40-year career, plus exceptional essays by Klaus Klemp and Erik Mattie, which provide excellent elaborations of his ten principles of good design. One of the most pointed inclusions is Rams’ ‘Tokyo Manifesto’, where he states: “To follow the thoughts on modesty or frugality for a certain time could be the beginning of an altogether new understanding of products.”
Rams’ clarity, vision and uncompromising ethical stances are exactly what’s needed as we move through the 21st century’s most troubled times, and as such, this exciting new volume ought to be required reading for all practitioners and students of architecture and design.
By Dieter Rams and Edited by Cees W. de Jong
Prestel
The Latest
An Integrated Approach
At DLR Group, collaboration across teams is key. We speak to Henrique Dias, Principal and Middle East Hospitality and Mixed-Use Director, and Vaida Buchrotaite, Principal and International Interior Design and Operations Director, on how the group shapes hospitality projects across the region
Motif Interiors completes Centrum Spaces’ Abu Dhabi coworking space
The UAE design-and-build studio delivers a Japanese-inspired coworking destination at Reem Mall, spanning 22,000 sq ft
An exploration of wood in Chattels&More’s latest collection
Chattels&More explores the timeless elegance of wood in its latest collection
Endless possibilities with the Laser Evo by iGuzzini
The brand's latest Laser Evo offers over a million design options.
Read Shaping Destinations in Design – Note from the editor
Read identity magazine's June 2026 edition on ISSUU or grab your copy
Gaggenau reveals the full range of the new Vario Cooling Expressive Series
The brand continues the evolution of the Vario cooling Expressive series with 11 new refrigeration models
Boffi|DePadova Opens in Alserkal Avenue
The brand opens a pop-up ahead of its opening
Beyond Green Walls
Noeline Conradie, Co-Founder and Lead Interior Designer of SharpMinds Consulting Engineers, shares how biophilic design actually works in offices and schools
Fountains of Mercy
E+A Studio designs an urban bird feeder designed to support biodiversity where nature and city intersect
id most wanted – May 2026
This unique piece is designed by Isidro Ferrer
An Oasis of Expression
A new coffee-table book about Dubai’s beloved cultural space, Courtyard, resists neat categorisation. Part memoir, part architectural study, part visual archive, it traces the evolution of one of the city’s most enduring creative enclaves
Rhythms of Light
This villa designed by archiSENSE studio in Dubai is a masterclass in restraint, proportion, and architectural expression