Discussing Dieter: Anonymity vs Neutrality

Recently, Phaidon published a new monograph of Dieter Ram's work entitled "Dieter Rams, As Little Design As Possible" written by Sophie Lovell. To celebrate the launch of the book Phaidon hosted a panel discussion in their SoHo space which included Gary Hustwit, director of Objectified, Helvetica, and Urbanized; Zoe Coombes, co-founder of CMMNWLTH; and me, creative director here at frog; moderated by LinYee Yuan, editor of core77.com.

One of the discussion topics that stuck with me is the perception by some that Ram's products and other Modernist products are cold or anonymous. While it can be said that the work may be devoid of its own personality, I see this as a positive thing. It is because of theses devices' intentional neutrality that the personality of the user—rather than the personality of the designer or the whim of a particular fashion trend—overlays the object. The user's personality is imbued into the object over time, seemingly through some sort of osmosis. For example, my grandfather owned a Braun electric juicer designed by Rams. Over the course of many breakfasts, I observed my grandfather making orange juice for our family with that little appliance. It somehow became his juicer and I still think of my grandfather when I see it. When he passed away a little over a decade ago, we began the daunting task of going through his things, and I came across his juicer. This little white appliance evoked so many memories of my grandfather. It had taken on his personality. While Ram's objects may lack sentimentality, they can become the intense focus of it in a very powerful and personal way.

This ability to take on the personality of the user, slowly over time, is the hidden beauty of many Modernist designs. What seems anonymous becomes intensely personal. It does not have the immediately satisfying pop personality that many objects have—one that elicits a fickle kind of love, which often fades quickly after an impulse purchase. A Modernist object has the ability to grow over time, build a sense of commitment, and ultimately inspire brand loyalty. I remember purchasing a Braun alarm clock, coffee maker, and shaver when I went off to college and became a man of my own. They all somehow reminded me of my grandfather.

This is the difference between minimal and simplistic. Simple often appeals to the lowest common denominator, while something that is intensely reductive in nature is labored over and appeals to the highest common denominator. This past week also marked the opening of the exhibit, Dieter Ram's Less and More at SFMOMA, curated by Joseph Becker. It was amazing for me to walk into the gallery and see my grandfather's juicer, as well as all of my college boy purchases: the alarm clock, shaver, and coffee maker. I also had a chance to chat with Rams—the man who made his mark by removing himself from the objects he designed in an effort to make them a pure expression of their function and a blank canvas for their users to become a part of.

In 1999, I was on a team designing eyewear for Burton Snowboard's Anon Optics line. The team lead asked the sponsored riders why they needed their own type of eyewear separate from skiers. The young riders struggled with the question because their functional needs were largely the same. However, when asked what type of car they would like to buy, they reached an almost unanimous consensus: the Audi A4 Quattro. We were perplexed why a bunch of 17-10 year olds who were paid to snowboard would want such an adult car. When asked why they liked the Audi, one of the riders responded that it can do what he wanted functionally, but it let him decide who he wanted to be without making a statement of its own. That statement became the design principle that guided the products. They wouldn't be expressive for expressiveness’ sake. Like a skier’s goggle, they would be as clean and minimal as possible (in the world of action sports) and let their rider express himself by what he was doing rather than what he was wearing. A pair of Levi’s jeans, white Converse sneakers, and a Hanes white T-shirt might seem like the most anonymous objects in the world, but put them on James Dean and you have something else all together!

It is important to note that the market—and ultimately, our culture—has room to contain both ends of the spectrum, from minimalist reduction to maximalist expression. As designers, it is our job to locate the point in that continuum where a proposed design must live in order that it might fully connect with the people who will use it.

Check out a more complete write-up about the event over on Phaidon's blog HERE.

You can also read an in-depth review of the book at core77 HERE. The sizable tome features Ram’s thoughts on everything from aesthetics in general to what makes a good designer, as well as interviews with Jonathan Ive, Naoto Fukasawa, Jasper Morrison, Sam Hecht, Konstantin Grcic, and me. A definite must have for any designer or design connoisseur's bookshelf.

If you are in the Bay Area, be sure to check out the show at SFMOMA and see everything in person.

As a Creative Director at frog, Michael DiTullo has designed products for a wide array of industries including housewares, consumer electronics, automotive, medical robotics, fashion and performance footwear. Michael is also a weekly contributor to Core77, a global design magazine and resource. You can follow Michael on Twitter @michael_ditullo.