--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe designers should eliminate the…" description: "\"I believe designers should eliminate the unnecessary. That means eliminating everything that is modish because this kind of thing is only short-lived.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/dieter-rams-15086_because_i-believe-designers-should-eliminate-the_2999124.png" --- # I believe designers should eliminate the unnecessary. That… ![“I believe designers should eliminate the unnecessary. That means eliminating everything that is modish because this kind of thing is only short-lived.” quote by Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/dieter-rams-15086_because_i-believe-designers-should-eliminate-the_2999124.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/dieter-rams-15086_because_i-believe-designers-should-eliminate-the_2999124.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/dieter-rams-15086_because_i-believe-designers-should-eliminate-the_2999124.png) > “I believe designers should eliminate the unnecessary. That means eliminating everything that is modish because this kind of thing is only short-lived.” [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Design should focus on timeless essentials, discarding trends that fade quickly. **In simple terms:** Keep designs simple and lasting. Key Takeaway Prioritize function over fashion. Themes design timelessness minimalism Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - product development - interior design - branding - fashion cycles Key Concepts functionality longevity aesthetic restraint Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide what is essential? - What criteria define “unnecessary”? A Different Perspective Trends can inspire useful ideas; not all fashionable elements are short-lived. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Designers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designers/) [Designers Eliminate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designers-eliminate-2307080/) [Eliminate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eliminate/) [Eliminate Unnecessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eliminate-unnecessary-1146448/) [Eliminating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eliminating/) [Eliminating Modish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eliminating-modish-4752745/) [Everything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everything/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Short lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-lived/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing/) [Unnecessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unnecessary/) ## Related quotes > [As designers we have a great responsibility. I believe designers should eliminate the unnecessary. That means eliminating everything that is modish because this kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/as-designers-we-have-a-great-responsibility-i-believe-designers/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [Eliminate the unnecessary and focus on the substance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-ramone/eliminate-the-unnecessary-and-focus-on-the-substance/) [Tommy Ramone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-ramone/) > [“Isolate then eliminate any unnecessary time wasting habits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/isolate-then-eliminate-any-unnecessary-time-wasting-habits/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [“By eliminating the variables closest to the primary variable, we immediately eliminate many potential root causes, and we can avoid collecting data about or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/by-eliminating-the-variables-closest-to-the-primary-variable-we/) [Nat Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-greene/) > [The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-hofmann/the-ability-to-simplify-means-to-eliminate-the-unnecessary-so-that/) [Hans Hofmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-hofmann/) > [Analyze who is in your circle... Eliminate the unnecessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/analyze-who-is-in-your-circle-eliminate-the-unnecessary/) [Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/) > [A single tax return for Quebecers will eliminate unnecessary paperwork for families and businesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-scheer/a-single-tax-return-for-quebecers-will-eliminate-unnecessary/) [Andrew Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-scheer/) > [It has taken me 20 years to eliminate the unnecessary elements from my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lakey/it-has-taken-me-20-years-to-eliminate-the-unnecessary-elements-from/) [Andrew Lakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lakey/) > [Flawless . . . Tightly choreographed . . . Shipstead gains entry into exclusive worlds and trains her opera glasses on private social rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-corrigan/flawless-tightly-choreographed-shipstead-gains-entry-into-exclusive/) [Maureen Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-corrigan/) > [Whatever else it was, Adolf Hitler's short-lived regime was also a colossal industrial process by which the wealth and productive power of much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/whatever-else-it-was-adolf-hitler-s-short-lived-regime-was-also-a/) [James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/) > [Moments of crisis, like the shooting in Newtown, tend to produce brief spikes of popular interest in gun control. My research on media attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-zuckerman/moments-of-crisis-like-the-shooting-in-newtown-tend-to-produce-brief/) [Ethan Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-zuckerman/) > [I think that rebellions arise out of anger, and they're very short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/i-think-that-rebellions-arise-out-of-anger-and-they-re-very-short/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [The male has more teeth than the female in mankind, and sheep and goats, and swine. This has not been observed in other animals.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-male-has-more-teeth-than-the-female-in-mankind-and-sheep-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [To be quite honest, the joyful relief of the publication of my book was short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-knox/to-be-quite-honest-the-joyful-relief-of-the-publication-of-my-book/) [Amanda Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-knox/) > [Architecture is not a profession for the faint-hearted, the weak-willed, or the short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/architecture-is-not-a-profession-for-the-faint-hearted-the-weak/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) ## More by Dieter Rams > [Good design is long-lasting! It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/good-design-is-long-lasting-it-avoids-being-fashionable-and-therefore/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [Good design is innovative 2. Good design makes a product useful 3. Good design is aesthetic 4. Good design makes a product understandable 5.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/good-design-is-innovative-2-good-design-makes-a-product-useful-3-good/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [Products have to be designed in a way that they are comprehensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/products-have-to-be-designed-in-a-way-that-they-are-comprehensible/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [I like to be in New York. Le Corbusier described it in the 1930s as a 'wonderful catastrophe.' It is still a wonderful catastrophe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/i-like-to-be-in-new-york-le-corbusier-described-it-in-the-1930s-as-a/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [Good designers must always be avant-gardists, always one step ahead of the times. They should – and must – question everything generally thought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/good-designers-must-always-be-avant-gardists-always-one-step-ahead-of/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/a-product-is-bought-to-be-used-it-has-to-satisfy-certain-criteria-not/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [Things which are different in order simply to be different are seldom better, but that which is made to be better is almost always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/things-which-are-different-in-order-simply-to-be-different-are-seldom/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [I hate everything that is driven by fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/i-hate-everything-that-is-driven-by-fashion/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [I am not an early bird. I go to bed normally between midnight and 1 o'clock, so it is understandable that I cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/i-am-not-an-early-bird-i-go-to-bed-normally-between-midnight-and-1-o/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [Nothing works without details. They are everything, the baseline of quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/nothing-works-without-details-they-are-everything-the-baseline-of/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [Not the spectacular things are the important things - the unspectacular things are the important things, especially in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/not-the-spectacular-things-are-the-important-things-the-unspectacular/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [As designers we have a great responsibility. I believe designers should eliminate the unnecessary. That means eliminating everything that is modish because this kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/as-designers-we-have-a-great-responsibility-i-believe-designers/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [Good design is making something intelligible and memorable. Great design is making something memorable and meaningful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/good-design-is-making-something-intelligible-and-memorable-great/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [As designers, we have a great responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/as-designers-we-have-a-great-responsibility/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) > [There is a lot of bad architecture. What we need more is to look at how our landscape should look in the next decades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-rams/there-is-a-lot-of-bad-architecture-what-we-need-more-is-to-look-at/) [Dieter Rams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) [Explore all 44 Dieter Rams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-rams/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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