Gary Hustwit's "Rams"

👉 Extra screening added on Thursday 6 December 👈

IxDA Oslo presents the Norway premiere of Rams – Gary Hustwit’s new feature-length documentary that looks at the life and philosophy of pioneering designer Dieter Rams.

Dieter Rams is one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. His iconic work for Braun and Vitsœ shaped left an indelible mark on the industry and his well-executed, beautiful and long-lasting products have had a profound influence product design. 

Rams's philosophy of  "Less, but better" and his 10 principles of good design are a must-know for every designer and UX'er. His work has influenced design luminaries such as Naoto Fukasawa, Jasper Morrison and Jony Ive. His ideas have been central in the shift towards minimalism in digital products and interaction design. So at 86 years old, why does he now regret being a designer?

Rams is a design documentary, but it’s also a rumination on consumerism, sustainability, and how technology is changing human behavior. Dieter's philosophy is about more than just design, it’s about a way to live.

Rams is the new documentary film from Gary Hustwit, whose films Helvetica, Objectified and Urbanized have presented the public with a rare glimpse into the worlds of design and urbanism.The film features an original score by pioneering musician Brian Eno.

After the screening, our panelists will explore the role of Rams's work today, and discuss how Rams's  principles, developed in the context of the still-young discipline of object-dominated industrial design and rising awareness of environmental issues in the 1970s, have relevance in the realms of digital design, and in the other multiple hybrid disciplines design has splintered into today.

About Dieter Rams

Dieter Rams was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, in 1932. He was strongly influenced by the presence of his grandfather who was a carpenter. Rams’s early awards for carpentry led to him training as an architect as Germany was rebuilt in the early 1950s.

Prompted by an eagle-eyed friend, Rams applied for a job at the German electrical products company, Braun, in 1955. He was recruited by Erwin and Artur Braun following the death of their father, and his first project was to modernize the interiors of the company that was launching revolutionary electrical products.

At Braun, Rams worked closely with Fritz Eichler and Ulm School of Design (successor to the Bauhaus) luminaries Hans Gugelot and Otl Aicher. He quickly became involved in product design – famously adding the plexiglass lid to the SK4 phonogram in 1956 – and was appointed head of design at Braun from 1961 to 1995. Together with his design team, he was responsible for many of the seminal domestic electrical products of the 20th century.

His influence on contemporary product design, most notably at Apple, has been documented in numerous articles and in books such as Dieter Rams: As Little Design As Possible by Sophie Lovell (Phaidon, 2011). Since 1959, Rams has also designed furniture for Vitsœ, a company founded that year by Niels Vitsœ and Otto Zapf. In 1960 the wall-mounted 606 Universal Shelving System was launched, followed by other modular systems for seating. He continues to work with Vitsœ to this day – you can look forward to seeing detailed design discussions between Rams and Vitsœ CEO Mark Adams in the film.