I read a cool little article in The Guardian G2 today, comparing designs from Braun in the 1960's with the designs from Apple today. Looking at the images, it's amazing how comparable the products are, even though they're generations apart. The designs of Dieter Rams were based on simplicity and the urge to do away with anything unnecessary, because he believed that made a design stand the test of time. With gimmicks, and fashions there's the chance what you've created will fall out of fashion. When I think of apple products, I do think of absolute simplicity, but I also get the feeling it's 'form over function', something I've never been interested in. Johnathan Ives however really understands what works and thats why his designs have become so iconic. He's the modern day Dieter Rams, and both of their designs will be remembered.

I've provided a nice big scan so you can read the article and check out the images. I'm not sure if this breaks some kind of copyright laws, but frankly the more people who get to read this the better.

Article written by Jonathan Clancey. The Guardian. 16.01.08

Talking of 'absolute simplicity' and doing away with the unnecessary, have a look at the new Macbook Air. The worlds thinnest notebook, courtesy of apple. But how is it so small? Well, there's no CD/DVD drive, a feature which a lot of people use less and less nowadays, so why not get rid of it. The fact that solid state memory is getting cheaper and larger is also a driving force behind this.