A list from Dieter Rams, in the documentary, Objectified, by Gary Hustwit.:
1. Good design should be innovative.
2. Good design should make a product useful.
3. Good design is aesthetic design.
4. Good design will make a product understandable.
5. Good design is honest.
6. Good design is unobtrusive.
7. Good design is long-lived.
8. Good design is consistent in every detail.
9. Good design is environmentally friendly.
10. Good design is as little design as possible.

One interesting paradox in the documentary is the way many of the designers note longevity as critical to their creative approach, then quickly say design is about mass production and the building of the new. Put another way, design is about creating desire within a consumer. It’s sad in a way, because I wonder what we’ll have to pass on between the generations (like the really old, porcelain salt and pepper shakers I have from my great grandmother). I liked the tweet from TreeHugger the other day which said: If you don’t need it, don’t buy it.

I think we should transform the way we think about how we design and why.