“Less, but better.”
Dieter Rams
Less, but better captures Rams’s belief that good design strips away everything unnecessary to focus on what truly matters. It’s not about doing less work—it’s about being more intentional, removing clutter and ornamentation to reveal the essential.
Context of the Quote
This phrase comes from the tenth and final principle in Rams’s design philosophy: “Good design is as little design as possible.” Developed during his decades at Braun, it emerged from his frustration with overcomplicated, wasteful products flooding the market. Rams saw designers adding unnecessary features and decoration, burdening products with elements that served no real purpose. His answer was radical simplicity—purity over excess.
Application of the Quote
You don’t need to be a designer to use this principle. In your career, ask: what’s essential to this project? What can I eliminate without losing value? Focus your energy on fewer things done exceptionally well rather than spreading yourself thin.
In life, apply it to how you spend time, organize your space, or make decisions. Cut what doesn’t serve you. The discipline of “less, but better” means saying no to good things so you can say yes to great ones. Simplicity isn’t laziness—it’s clarity.
Less but better (Primary source)
Less but Better isn’t a comprehensive catalog of Dieter Rams’ work or a complete history of Braun. Instead, it’s something more valuable: a deep dive into the thinking behind some of the twentieth century’s most enduring product designs.
More about “Less but better” →
“Good design is as little as possible. Less, but better, because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.”
Dieter Rams
“I once said that my aim is to leave out everything superfluous in order to allow the essential to come through.”
— Dieter Rams Primary source“A record player, a kitchen appliance, a slide projector or a shaver with disorderly, chaotic, confusing or overloaded design cannot fulfil its functions. The harmony of a design too, its aesthetic quality, also has a functional purpose—it facilitates a positive emotional relationship between a device and its user.”
— Dieter Rams Primary source“My aim was to design [door] handles that were as simple as possible. Our living environment today is complex and polymorphic enough. I have always striven to couteract this chaos.”
— Dieter Rams Primary source“Good design is innovative. Good design must be useful. Good design is aesthetic design. Good design makes a product understandable. Good design is honest. Good design is unobtrusive. Good design is long-lasting. Good design is consistent in every detail. Good design is environmentally friendly. And last but not least, good design is as little design as possible.”
— Dieter Rams Primary source“Every day above earth is a good day.”
— Ernest Hemingway Primary source“Diligence is the mother of good luck.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
— Leonardo da Vinci Disputed“Good design is innovative. Good design must be useful. Good design is aesthetic design. Good design makes a product understandable. Good design is honest. Good design is unobtrusive. Good design is long-lasting. Good design is consistent in every detail. Good design is environmentally friendly. And last but not least, good design is as little design as possible.”
— Dieter Rams Primary source