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Less but Better

Weniger, aber besser

The new edition of the benchmark work by Dieter Rams.

Coming Back Soon

Language Edition
Free shipping in the U.K.
Few product designs have the staying power of creations by Dieter Rams. Almost everything produced by the most influential designer of the twentieth century is today considered a classic. This new and revised edition of Less but Better shows once again why Dieter Rams’s approach to design will be relevant for the foreseeable future.  

Ideas of what can and must be achieved by good design are in a constant state of flux as a result of cultural and technological developments. Dieter Rams, however, came up with ten principles that advocate for a purist, almost imperceptible design. These principles are still considered timeless fundaments of design theory and practice today.  

Less but Better does not set out to be a complete documentation of Dieter Rams’s body of work, nor does it claim to tell the full story of the company Braun. Rather the book explores the ideas, criteria, and methods behind Rams’s creations and reveals how a shifting culture of product manufacturing gave rise to universal design benchmarks. From his reflections on design ethics and values we can distill a clear paradigm for future design—because one principle has remained firm over the years: less is simply better.  

Editors: Dieter und Ingeborg Rams Stiftung, Jo Klatt
Authors: Dieter Rams
Release date: March 2014
Format: 21 x 29.7 cm
Features: 154 pages, full color, softcover
ISBN: 978-3-89955-525-7

Dieter Rams, born in Wiesbaden in 1932, initially studied architecture. He is widely considered one of the most significant industrial designers of the twentieth century. In the more than 40 years that he spent working at the electrical appliance manufacturer Braun, Rams turned out a wealth of pioneering creations that continue to influence designers around the world today. He has also generated a new awareness of the social function of design in Germany.

Jo Klatt is an acknowledged connoisseur and collector of Braun products. For many years he worked at the magazine Design+Design and was the publisher of numerous works, including the first edition of Less but Better.

This book has been printed in Germany.
FSC™️ (Forest Stewardship Council™️) Certified.

SHIPPING COSTS

    SHIPPING WITHIN THE UK:

    SHIPPING WITHIN GERMANY AND THE EUROPEAN UNION:

    SHIPPING WITHIN THE US:

    SHIPPING TO ALL OTHER COUNTRIES:

    • €0.00 for orders above €60.00 EUR (value of goods) placed via our EU online shop
    • €40.00 for orders below €60.00 EUR (value of goods) placed via our EU online shop

    Additional customs charges, taxes, and fees may be charged for shipments to countries outside the EU and the US.

     

    SHIPMENT TRACKING

    Once your order is ready to be shipped, you receive a confirmation email with the delivery details and a tracking link. Please note, that it can take some days before the tracking information is uploaded. You will also be able to track your order when you log into your account.

     

    DELIVERY TIMES

    Unless otherwise specified, 

    • deliveries within Germany usually take 2–5 working days, 
    • deliveries within the European Union, to Switzerland and Norway usually take 3–7 working days, 
    • deliveries within the UK, usually take 3–7 working days,
    • deliveries within the US usually take 5–10 working days,
    • deliveries to all other countries may take 3–8 weeks

    from the date you receive your order confirmation (or, if advance payment  is agreed, from the date payment is instructed).

    Please note that we don’t ship on weekends and public holidays and that there will be no deliveries on Sundays and public holidays.

    If you have ordered items with different delivery times, we will send the goods in one shipment, unless we have made a different agreement with you. In this case, the delivery time is determined by the item with the longest delivery time that you have ordered.

     

    PAYMENT OPTIONS

    We accept the following payment methods:

    • Credit card: MasterCard, VISA
    • Paypal
    • Google Pay
    • Apple Pay
    • Shopify Payments
    • SEPA direct debit
    • Sofortüberweisung
    • ideal
    • eps-Überweisung
    • Bancontact

    FURTHER DETAILS ON PAYMENT:

    The currency used in our EU online shop is Euro (€) and VAT is included in all our prices. The currency used in our UK online shop it is GBP (£) and in our US online shop it is USD ($) and all prices are expressed as exclusive of any VAT or other sales tax payable unless otherwise stated.

    All prices and product information on the gestalten online shop are subject to change.

    If you have any questions, please contact us.

    We will only take payment from your credit card, debit card or your Paypal account once your order has been dispatched.

    For card purchases we work with an authorized payment agent that helps us to check directly with your bank that the card is valid for purchases. Our payment agent processes your card details in the correct way according to the international security standard PCI DSS, which was developed by the card companies VISA, MasterCard, Diners, American Express and JCB. This means that your card details are processed with a very high level of security. To make card purchases with us as secure as possible all information is sent in encrypted form using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). This means that the information is passed through a secure connection and that your card details cannot be read by external parties.

    For further information about Paypal or to create a Paypal account please visit paypal.com.

    When paying by SEPA direct debit, you authorize us to collect the invoice amount from the specified account by issuing a corresponding SEPA mandate. You will receive a pre-notification at least 5 days before the date of direct debit collection. Please note that you are required to ensure sufficient funds are in the account on the announced date. 

     

    RETURNS

    You have a 14-day window to revoke your contract without specifying any reasons. To exercise your right of revocation, please notify us accordingly.

    To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.

    Please note, that gift cards and downloadable software products are non-returnable. 

    Upon revocation, we will provide a full refund using the same payment method you utilized. You are responsible for covering the direct costs associated with returning the products, especially any shipping charges incurred. Repayment may be withheld until the products are returned to us. For further details, please refer to the section on Revocation Right.

     

    Few product designs have the staying power of creations by Dieter Rams. Almost everything produced by the most influential designer of the twentieth century is today considered a classic. This new and revised edition of Less but Better shows once again why Dieter Rams’s approach to design will be relevant for the foreseeable future.  

    Ideas of what can and must be achieved by good design are in a constant state of flux as a result of cultural and technological developments. Dieter Rams, however, came up with ten principles that advocate for a purist, almost imperceptible design. These principles are still considered timeless fundaments of design theory and practice today.  

    Less but Better does not set out to be a complete documentation of Dieter Rams’s body of work, nor does it claim to tell the full story of the company Braun. Rather the book explores the ideas, criteria, and methods behind Rams’s creations and reveals how a shifting culture of product manufacturing gave rise to universal design benchmarks. From his reflections on design ethics and values we can distill a clear paradigm for future design—because one principle has remained firm over the years: less is simply better.  

    bilingual Design Design & Fashion product design

    Editors Dieter und Ingeborg Rams Stiftung, Jo Klatt
    Authors: Dieter Rams
    Release date: March 2014
    Format: 21 x 29.7 cm
    Features: 154 pages, full color, softcover
    ISBN: 978-3-89955-525-7

    Dieter Rams, born in Wiesbaden in 1932, initially studied architecture. He is widely considered one of the most significant industrial designers of the twentieth century. In the more than 40 years that he spent working at the electrical appliance manufacturer Braun, Rams turned out a wealth of pioneering creations that continue to influence designers around the world today. He has also generated a new awareness of the social function of design in Germany.

    Jo Klatt is an acknowledged connoisseur and collector of Braun products. For many years he worked at the magazine Design+Design and was the publisher of numerous works, including the first edition of Less but Better.

    This book has been printed in Germany.
    FSC™️ (Forest Stewardship Council™️) Certified.

    SHIPPING COSTS

      SHIPPING WITHIN THE UK:

      SHIPPING WITHIN GERMANY AND THE EUROPEAN UNION:

      SHIPPING WITHIN THE US:

      SHIPPING TO ALL OTHER COUNTRIES:

      • €0.00 for orders above €60.00 EUR (value of goods) placed via our EU online shop
      • €40.00 for orders below €60.00 EUR (value of goods) placed via our EU online shop

      Additional customs charges, taxes, and fees may be charged for shipments to countries outside the EU and the US.

       

      SHIPMENT TRACKING

      Once your order is ready to be shipped, you receive a confirmation email with the delivery details and a tracking link. Please note, that it can take some days before the tracking information is uploaded. You will also be able to track your order when you log into your account.

       

      DELIVERY TIMES

      Unless otherwise specified, 

      • deliveries within Germany usually take 2–5 working days, 
      • deliveries within the European Union, to Switzerland and Norway usually take 3–7 working days, 
      • deliveries within the UK, usually take 3–7 working days,
      • deliveries within the US usually take 5–10 working days,
      • deliveries to all other countries may take 3–8 weeks

      from the date you receive your order confirmation (or, if advance payment  is agreed, from the date payment is instructed).

      Please note that we don’t ship on weekends and public holidays and that there will be no deliveries on Sundays and public holidays.

      If you have ordered items with different delivery times, we will send the goods in one shipment, unless we have made a different agreement with you. In this case, the delivery time is determined by the item with the longest delivery time that you have ordered.

       

      PAYMENT OPTIONS

      We accept the following payment methods:

      • Credit card: MasterCard, VISA
      • Paypal
      • Google Pay
      • Apple Pay
      • Shopify Payments
      • SEPA direct debit
      • Sofortüberweisung
      • ideal
      • eps-Überweisung
      • Bancontact

      FURTHER DETAILS ON PAYMENT:

      The currency used in our EU online shop is Euro (€) and VAT is included in all our prices. The currency used in our UK online shop it is GBP (£) and in our US online shop it is USD ($) and all prices are expressed as exclusive of any VAT or other sales tax payable unless otherwise stated.

      All prices and product information on the gestalten online shop are subject to change.

      If you have any questions, please contact us.

      We will only take payment from your credit card, debit card or your Paypal account once your order has been dispatched.

      For card purchases we work with an authorized payment agent that helps us to check directly with your bank that the card is valid for purchases. Our payment agent processes your card details in the correct way according to the international security standard PCI DSS, which was developed by the card companies VISA, MasterCard, Diners, American Express and JCB. This means that your card details are processed with a very high level of security. To make card purchases with us as secure as possible all information is sent in encrypted form using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). This means that the information is passed through a secure connection and that your card details cannot be read by external parties.

      For further information about Paypal or to create a Paypal account please visit paypal.com.

      When paying by SEPA direct debit, you authorize us to collect the invoice amount from the specified account by issuing a corresponding SEPA mandate. You will receive a pre-notification at least 5 days before the date of direct debit collection. Please note that you are required to ensure sufficient funds are in the account on the announced date. 

       

      RETURNS

      You have a 14-day window to revoke your contract without specifying any reasons. To exercise your right of revocation, please notify us accordingly.

      To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging.

      Please note, that gift cards and downloadable software products are non-returnable. 

      Upon revocation, we will provide a full refund using the same payment method you utilized. You are responsible for covering the direct costs associated with returning the products, especially any shipping charges incurred. Repayment may be withheld until the products are returned to us. For further details, please refer to the section on Revocation Right.

       

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