Over a year ago, I started a series about the industrial designer Dieter Rams, who was an influence on Apple designer Jonathan Ives. Rams wrote about 10 principles of good design and I was showing examples for each of the 10 design principles until I reached the 10th -- Good Design is as Little Design as Possible. I couldn't find an example that I was willing to use and I finally decided to leave it an open question. This morning I found this photo of a Japanese product that is designed to help people who have difficulty carrying packages - a shopping cart. I've been looking at it for over two years now and I even contacted the company in Japan to see if I could get one for my Mother (click here or the photo for a link to their website).
Most American shopping carts I've seen are ungainly. This one, however, is one that I think Dieter Rams would give his approval. Simple and sleet, I don't see any obvious extraneous items. Everything there seems to be there for a reason and everything seems to be reduced to its essentials. That's my interpretation of his 10th principle. LM
Most American shopping carts I've seen are ungainly. This one, however, is one that I think Dieter Rams would give his approval. Simple and sleet, I don't see any obvious extraneous items. Everything there seems to be there for a reason and everything seems to be reduced to its essentials. That's my interpretation of his 10th principle. LM