1976-10 Dieter Rams.Less,but better

Dieter Rams: Design by Vitsœ Delivered in December 1976 to an audience at Jack Lenor Larsen's New York showroom.

迪特尔-拉姆斯：1976 年 12 月在杰克-莱诺-拉森（Jack Lenor Larsen）的纽约陈列室向听众发表。

The ideas behind my work as a designer have to match with a company's objectives. This principle applies to my work not only at Braun but also at Vitsoe. I have been working for these two companies for about 20 years and - l like to point out - only for these two companies.

作为一名设计师，我工作背后的理念必须与公司的目标相匹配。这一原则不仅适用于我在博朗的工作，也适用于我在Vitsoe的工作。我为这两家公司工作了大约20年，而且--我想指出的是--只为这两家公司工作。

I am convinced that design - at least in the terms I understand it - cannot be performed by someone outside the company. I am absolutely convinced that this is true if products are designed as part of a larger system, like we do at Vitsœ.

我深信，设计--至少按照我的理解--不能由公司以外的人来完成。如果产品是作为一个更大系统的一部分来设计的，就像我们在 Vitsœ 所做的那样，我绝对相信这一点。

In 1957 I began to develop a storage system that formed the basis of the company Vitsoe, which was founded in 1959. Thus the ideology behind my design is engrained within the company.

1957 年，我开始开发一种储架系统，该系统为 1959 年成立的 Vitsoe 公司奠定了基础。因此，我的设计理念在公司内部根深蒂固。

Ladies and gentlemen, design is a popular subject today. No wonder because, in the face of increasing competition, design is often the only product differentiation that is truly discernible to the buyer.

女士们，先生们，设计是当今的热门话题。这也难怪，因为面对日益激烈的竞争，设计往往是唯一能让买家真正辨别出产品差异的地方。

I am convinced that a well-thought-out design is decisive to the quality of a product. A poorly-designed product is not only uglier than a well-designed one but it is of less value and use. Worst of all it might be intrusive.

我深信，经过深思熟虑的设计对产品的质量起着决定性的作用。设计拙劣的产品不仅比设计精良的产品丑陋，其价值和用途也会大打折扣。最糟糕的是，它可能会造成干扰。

The development and changes that we have initiated with our work at Vitsœ are, I believe, positive for the development of good design as a whole.

我相信，我们在 Vitsœ 所开展的工作所带来的发展和变化，对整个优秀设计的发展具有积极意义。

The introduction of good design is needed for a company to be successful. However, our definition of success may be different to yours. Striving for good design is of social importance as it means, amongst other things, absolutely avoiding waste.

一家公司要想取得成功，就必须引入优秀的设计。然而，我们对成功的定义可能与你们不同。追求好的设计具有重要的社会意义，因为它意味着绝对避免浪费。

What is good design? Product design is the total configuration of a product: its form, colour, material and construction. The product must serve its intended purpose efficiently.

什么是好的设计？产品设计是指产品的整体配置：外形、颜色、材料和结构。产品必须有效地达到预期目的。

A designer who wants to achieve good design must not regard himself as an artist who, according to taste and aesthetics, is merely dressing-up products with a lastminute garment.

一个设计师要想获得好的设计，就不能把自己当成一个艺术家，按照自己的品味和审美观，只是用一件最后的衣服来装扮产品。

The designer must be the gestaltingenieur or creative engineer. They synthesise the completed product from the various elements that make up its design. Their work is largely rational, meaning that aesthetic decisions are justified by an understanding of the product's purpose.

设计师必须是设计工程师或创意工程师。他们从构成设计的各种元素中综合出完整的产品。他们的工作在很大程度上是理性的，也就是说，美学决定是通过对产品目的的理解来证明的。

I am convinced that people have an interest in what we are doing at Vitsœ since our products are useful; I expect they also appreciate the aesthetic that follows. These qualities are the result of progressive and intelligent problem solving. Functionality must be at the centre of good design.

我深信，由于我们的产品非常有用，人们对我们在 Vitsœ 所做的事情很感兴趣；我希望他们也能欣赏我们的产品所带来的美感。这些品质都是循序渐进、智慧地解决问题的结果。功能性必须是优秀设计的核心。

A product must be functional in itself but it also must function as part of a wider system: the home. Vitsœ's 606 Universal Shelving System is successful due to its high functionality and its ability to adapt to any environment. Vitsœ's furniture does not shout; it performs its function in relative anonymity alongside furniture from any designer and in homes from any era. We make the effort to produce products like this for the intelligent and responsible users - not consumers - who consciously select products that they can really use. Good design must be able to coexist.

产品本身必须具有功能性，但它也必须作为更广泛系统（即家庭）的一部分发挥作用。Vitsœ 的 606 Universal Shelving System（606 通用搁架系统）之所以成功，就在于它的高功能性和适应任何环境的能力。Vitsœ的家具并不张扬；它与任何设计师设计的家具和任何时代的家居一起，相对默默无闻地发挥着自己的功能。我们努力为有智慧、负责任的用户（而不是消费者）生产这样的产品，他们会有意识地选择真正用得上的产品。好的设计必须能够共存。

You cannot understand good design if you do not understand people; design is made for people. It must be ergonomically correct, meaning it must harmonise with a human being's strengths, dimensions, senses and understanding.

如果不了解人，就无法理解好的设计；设计是为人而做的。设计必须符合人体工程学，即必须与人的力量、尺寸、感官和理解力相协调。

Vitsœ's direct contact with its customers has led to a deep understanding of people. Over the years, our understanding of how you use a shelf or an armchair has increased. We have educated and diligent people worldwide who understand how to plan systems in configurations that our customers may not necessarily have thought of at the beginning.

Vitsœ 与客户的直接接触使我们对人有了深刻的了解。多年来，我们对客户如何使用货架或扶手椅的理解不断加深。我们在世界各地拥有受过良好教育、勤奋工作的员工，他们了解如何规划系统配置，而这些配置可能是客户一开始不一定想到的。

Order and proportion: only orderliness makes a product useful 有序和比例：有序的产品才有用

All objects that are to be used must be subject to a clear order. The remarkable order of design at Vitsœ has the purpose of communicating the function of the object to the user. The design of a Vitsœ product clearly points out its purpose and its use - and facilitates them.

所有要使用的物品都必须遵守明确的秩序。Vitsœ设计的显著顺序旨在向用户传达物品的功能。Vitsœ产品的设计明确指出了其目的和用途，并为其提供便利。

The order of the elements - their arrangement, their shape, their size and their colour - is based on a thoroughly-planned system. This system is the language of Vitsœ design.

这些元素的排列顺序、形状、大小和颜色，都建立在一个精心策划的系统之上。这个系统就是Vitsœ设计的语言。

But this order is not self-serving; and I would not call it ideology because it is a practical necessity. For design to be understood by everyone - which good design should strive to do - it should be as simple as possible.

但这种秩序并不是为自己服务的；我也不会称其为意识形态，因为它是一种实际需要。为了让每个人都能理解设计--好的设计应该努力做到这一点--它应该尽可能简单。

Design at Vitsœ brings all individual elements into proportion. An often-cited feature of the Vitsœ collection is its balance, its harmony, its belonging together. All structures, components and finishes coexist as a well-balanced and harmonious design that gives it usability.

Vitsœ 的设计将所有独立的元素融为一体。Vitsœ 系列经常被提及的一个特点就是平衡、和谐、相得益彰。所有的结构、组件和饰面都共存于一个平衡和谐的设计之中，这也是它的实用性所在。

The majority of products that we encounter in our day-to-day lives scream for attention or try to impress us with their magnificence or miniscule size. These objects try to dictate our relationships with them. Good design creates powerful long-lasting relationships with products as good design creates objects with balanced proportions; at Vitsœ we go further by trying to create objects in balanced proportion with people.

我们在日常生活中接触到的大多数产品都嚷嚷着要引起我们的注意，或者试图用它们的华丽或微小给我们留下深刻印象。这些物品试图左右我们与它们之间的关系。好的设计能让我们与产品之间建立起强大而持久的关系，就像好的设计能创造出比例均衡的物品一样；在 Vitsœ，我们更进一步，试图创造出与人比例均衡的物品。

Good design means to me: as little design as possible 对我来说，好的设计意味着：尽可能少的设计

To use design to impress, to polish things up, to make them chic, is no design at all. This is packaging.

用设计来给人留下深刻印象，用设计来修饰事物，用设计来使其别致，这根本就不是设计。这是包装。

When we concentrate on the essential elements in design, when we omit all superfluous elements, we find forms become: quiet, comfortable, understandable and, most importantly, long lasting.

当我们专注于设计中的基本要素时，当我们省略所有多余的元素时，我们会发现形式变得：安静、舒适、易懂，最重要的是经久耐用。

Vitsœ products are in constant evolution. We do not limit our products to the manufacturing technologies available at the time of their design. Built into the language of Vitsœ products is adaptability - adaptability for the user in the home and adaptability in design and manufacture.

Vitsœ的产品不断推陈出新。我们不会将产品局限于设计时的制造技术。Vitsœ产品的语言就是适应性--对家庭用户的适应性以及设计和制造的适应性。

We are constantly looking for new and better technical solutions for our products. As technology and production processes are always advancing, innovations are not only possible but they are necessary for a product to continue to be considered good design.

我们一直在为我们的产品寻找新的、更好的技术解决方案。随着技术和生产工艺的不断进步，创新不仅是可能的，而且是产品继续被视为优秀设计的必要条件。

We have experienced that people are more willing than ever to change their lifestyles; that they accept innovative solutions - not fake ones - and are able to rid themselves of old and cemented habits with our products. They expect such innovative solutions, particularly from Vitsœ.

我们的经验表明，人们比以往任何时候都更愿意改变自己的生活方式；他们接受创新的解决方案，而不是假冒伪劣产品；他们能够通过我们的产品摆脱固化的旧习惯。他们期待这种创新的解决方案，尤其是来自 Vitsœ的解决方案。

Ladies and gentlemen, our environment is changing rapidly. How will these changes affect our design concepts? Can design that claims longer-range validity be reactive to current circumstances or must it be proactive for the future?

女士们，先生们，我们所处的环境正在发生日新月异的变化。这些变化将如何影响我们的设计理念？声称具有长远有效性的设计能否被动地适应当前的环境，还是必须主动地面向未来？

In a room where the proportions are noticed we feel better and we think differently. A neglected and uncared-for landscape will have a different effect on our lives than one that is natural and orderly. There is a lot of work to do on the topic of our physical surroundings affecting our psychological functions. This is the work we do at Vitsœ.

在一个注意到比例的房间里，我们的感觉会更好，我们的想法也会不同。与自然有序的景观相比，被忽视和无人打理的景观会对我们的生活产生不同的影响。在物质环境影响我们的心理机能这一主题上，我们还有很多工作要做。这就是我们在 Vitsœ 所做的工作。

But Vitsœ only makes furniture today. There are larger questions that we need to answer about our urban environment and how it affects us as individuals and as a society.

但 Vitsœ 如今只做家具。关于我们的城市环境以及它对我们个人和社会的影响，我们需要回答更多的问题。

What effects do electricity pylons, skyscrapers, highways, street lighting and car parks, for example, have on our psyche and relationships? We know that the residents of anonymous concrete blocks can become depressed as a result of their surroundings. But who is researching these things systematically? Who takes all of this really seriously?

例如，铁塔、摩天大楼、高速公路、街道照明和停车场对我们的心理和人际关系有什么影响？我们知道，无名混凝土街区的居民会因周围环境而变得抑郁。但是，谁在系统地研究这些问题？有谁真正认真对待这些问题？

I imagine our current situation will cause future generations to shudder at the thoughtlessness in the way in which we today fill our homes, our cities and our landscape with a chaos of assorted junk. What a fatalistic apathy we have towards the effect of such things. What atrocities we have to tolerate. Yet we are only half aware of them.

我猜想，我们目前的处境会让后代人不寒而栗，因为我们今天竟然不假思索地用各种杂乱无章的垃圾来填充我们的家园、我们的城市和我们的景观。我们对这些东西的影响是多么宿命般的冷漠。我们不得不容忍这些暴行。然而，我们对它们只是一知半解。

This complex situation is increasing and possibly irreversible: there are no discrete actions anymore. Everything interacts and is dependent on other things; we must think more thoroughly about what we are doing, how we are doing it and why we are doing it.

这种复杂的局面正在加剧，而且可能不可逆转：不再有独立的行动。万事万物都会相互影响并依赖于其他事物；我们必须更深入地思考我们在做什么、如何做以及为什么要做。

Indeed, the collapse of the entire system may be impending.

事实上，整个系统的崩溃可能迫在眉睫。

I have spoken of our surroundings but let us look at the wider environment: the world we live in. There is an increasing and irreversible shortage of natural resources: raw materials, energy, food, and land. This must compel us to rationalise, especially in design. The times of thoughtless design, which can only flourish in times of thoughtless production for thoughtless consumption, are over. We cannot afford any more thoughtlessness.

我已经谈到了我们周围的环境，但让我们看看更广阔的环境：我们生活的世界。原材料、能源、食物和土地等自然资源的短缺日益加剧，而且不可逆转。这必须迫使我们合理化，尤其是在设计方面。不假思索的设计只能在不假思索地生产、不假思索地消费的时代蓬勃发展，这个时代已经过去了。我们再也经不起任何不经意了。

The complexity of systems and shortage of natural resources should compel a change of individual attitudes and attitudes as a society. We learn as individuals and we learn as a group. We are beginning to understand the changes that we are only just seeing. We must take notice with increasing soberness and, hopefully, with growing alertness and rationalism.

系统的复杂性和自然资源的短缺应迫使个人和社会改变态度。我们作为个人要学习，作为群体也要学习。我们开始了解我们刚刚看到的变化。我们必须越来越清醒地认识到这一点，并希望我们能越来越警觉和理性。

Ladies and gentlemen, if we at Vitsœ have contributed towards intelligent, responsible design and a higher quality of objects, I believe we owe our thanks to a great degree to the unselfish enthusiasm and the always-consequent attitude of one man: Niels Vitsœ. At the same time thanks to all the members of staff, who sense that they have done a little more than just produce another short-lived consumer product.

女士们，先生们，如果说我们Vitsœ设计公司为智能化、负责任的设计和更高质量的物品做出了贡献，那么我相信我们在很大程度上要感谢一个人的无私热情和始终如一的态度：尼尔斯-维茨（Niels Vitsœ）。同时，我们也要感谢所有的员工，他们知道自己所做的不仅仅是生产另一种短暂的消费品。

Good design is a reality!

好的设计就是现实！

1976-10 Dieter Rams.Less,but better

1976-10 Dieter Rams.Less,but better

Order and proportion: only orderliness makes a product useful 有序和比例：有序的产品才有用

Good design means to me: as little design as possible 对我来说，好的设计意味着：尽可能少的设计

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