Bringing Dieter Rams’ principles of good design into the classroom
Published 10th September 2025
Dieter Rams’ Ten Principles of Good Design have guided generations of designers and remain a powerful tool for helping pupils understand what makes design purposeful, sustainable and human-centred. For teachers, they provide a clear framework to explore design thinking and encourage pupils to look beyond the surface of products to consider usability, honesty and environmental impact.
A framework to spark classroom discussion
Rams’ principles remind us that good design:
- is innovative
- makes a product useful
- is aesthetic
- makes a product understandable
- is unobtrusive
- is honest
- is long-lasting
- is thorough down to the last detail
- is environmentally friendly
- is as little design as possible
These simple but powerful ideas offer countless starting points for classroom discussion and project work. Whether it’s challenging pupils to rethink everyday objects or asking them to apply the principles to their own creations, Rams’ approach opens the door to meaningful conversations about what design is for and the values it should represent.
Free poster download
To make it even easier to bring these ideas into your teaching, we’ve created a poster featuring Dieter Rams’ Ten Principles for you to download as a PDF below. Keep it handy for future inspiration or display it as a classroom resource to support your pupils’ learning.
While his ideas have long shaped the way we understand design, they remain firmly in the spotlight today. This September, Dieter Rams was named recipient of the 2025 World Design Medal™ by the World Design Organization (WDO)®, recognising his lifelong influence on the field. The honour highlights the continuing relevance of his work, reminding us that his design philosophy is as useful in classrooms as it is in professional studios.
For design and technology teachers, Rams’ Ten Principles provide a practical, inspiring way to connect pupils with the heart of good design, design that endures, and design that matters.
