Date of Birth: 20 May 1932
Place of Birth: Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany
Alma Mater: Wiesbaden School of Art
His unobtrusive approach and belief in “Less, but better” design has generated a timeless quality in his products and have influenced the design of many products, securing Rams worldwide recognition and appreciation.
Rams began his studies in architecture and interior decoration at Wiesbaden School of Art in 1947, now part of the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences. A year later, in 1948, he took a break from studying to gain practical experience and finish his carpentry apprenticeship. He returned to the Wiesbaden School of Art in 1948 and graduated in architecture with honours in 1953, after which he began working for Frankfurt-based architect Otto Apel. In 1955, he was recruited to Braun as an architect and an interior designer. In 1961, he became the chief design officer at Braun, a position he retained until 1995.
Rams, along with the team he led, designed many memorable products for Braun. The austere aesthetic and user friendliness of these products made Braun a household name in the 1950s.
Such products included the famous SK4 record player released in 1956. Known as the “Snow White coffin”, it was considered revolutionary because it transitioned household appliance design away from looking like traditional furniture. Other notable designs included the ‘D’-series (D45, D46) of 35mm film slide projectors.
In addition to his work for Braun, Rams also designed the 606 universal shelving system and 620 chair programme for Vitsœ, at the time known as Vitsœ-Zapf in 1960.
His designs inspired Apple designer Jonathan Ive, including Apple’s iOS 6 calculator, a clear reference to the 1977 Braun ET66 calculator.
Rams introduced the idea of sustainable development, and of obsolescence being a crime in design, in the 1970s. Accordingly, he asked himself the question: “Is my design a good design?” The answer he formed became the basis for his celebrated ten principles.
Rams has been involved in design for seven decades, and has received many honorary appellations throughout his career. Notable awards and accomplishments include:
- 1960: Received Kulturkreis im Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie scholarship award
- 1961: TP1 portable record player and radio received Supreme Award at Interplas exhibition, London
- 1963: F21 received ‘Supreme Award’ at Interplas exhibition, London
- 1968: Awarded ‘Honorary Royal Designer for Industry’ of the Royal Society of Arts, UK for distinguished design in furniture and light engineering products
- 1969: 620 chair awarded gold medal at the International Furniture Exhibition in Vienna
- 1978: Awarded SIAD Medal of the Society of Industrial Artists and Designers, UK
- 1985: Awarded Académico de Honor Extranjero by the Academia Mexicana de Diseño, Mexico
- 1989: First recipient of the Industrie Forum Design Hannover, Germany, for special contribution to design
- 1989: Awarded Doctor honoris causa by Royal College of Art, London, UK
- 1992: Received Ikea prize and uses prize money for his own Dieter and Ingeborg Rams Foundation for the promotion of design
- 1996: Received World Design Medal from the Industrial Designers Society of America
- 2002: Awarded Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany)
- 2003: Received Design Award ONDI, Havana, Cuba for his special contribution to industrial design and world culture
- 2007: Awarded Design Prize of the Federal republic of Germany for his life’s work
- 2007: Received Lucky Strike Designer Award from the Raymond Loewy Foundation
- 2010: Kölner Klopfer prize awarded by the students of the Cologne International School of Design
- 2013: Awarded Lifetime Achievement Medal at London Design Festival 2013
606 Universal Shelving System, 1960. Image by Vitsoe at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 
Calculator Braun ET66, 1987. Image by Kippelboy, CC BY-SA 3.0 
Receiver (Steuergerät) Braun Regie 510, 1972. Image by Nobsy at German Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons 
Tonarmwaage, 1962. Image by w/d/h, CC BY-SA 3.0 
Braun T 1000 CD, 1968. Image by Benjamin Heinecke, CC BY-SA 2.5
An exhibition of Rams’ landmark designs for Braun and Vitsœ entitled “Less and More” opened in Japan during 2008 and 2009. Appearances included the Suntory Museum in Osaka and the Fuchu Art Museum in Tokyo. Between November 2009 and March 2010 the exhibition appeared at the Design Museum in London. It then appeared at the Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt from July to September 2010 and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from August 2011 to February 2012.