Dieter Rams, German industrial designer, believes there are ten main principles of good design. These 10 principles are important as, at the very least, a basis to good design. These principles don’t work for all companies, but most use them in their own unique way.
In this post, I’ll use PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), a media company whose site can be accessed and used for free online, as an example and explore how it does and does not follow the 10 principles.
Principle 1: Good Design is Innovative
Dieter Rams’ first principle is that good design is innovative. As times change, a product needs to be advanced yet original to appeal to consumers. But design shouldn’t be different for the sake of being different; it should help solve a problem or make a task easier in a way no one has thought of before.
PBS’s design (the site) is similar to that of a streaming service. It has shows on the main page, and there are tabs to explore news, live TV, and more. The problem that it solves in a different way is making all of this media free to the public. This eliminates the money barrier on most streaming platforms and some news networks. In my opinion, PBS uses this principle well.
Principle 2: Good design is Useful
His second principle is that good design makes a product useful. Products are usually bought to be used. Good design not only is useful, but shows the usefulness of a product as well.
PBS is useful not only for entertainment, but for news too. It offers free shows, news, and other resources. This is especially useful as a free alternative to streaming services. The news aspects are useful to stay up to date with current events, and know what’s going on with the world. PBS uses this principle well.
Principle 3: Good Design is Aesthetic
His third principle is the good design is aesthetic. If a product looks good, it sells better, because people see that it was well-executed and thought out.
Like many other streaming platforms, PBS’s site is relatively organized. It’s not overly aesthetic, but it’s not horrible to look at, and it’s easy to navigate. In my opinion, PBS uses this principle fairly well.
Principle 4: Good Design Makes a Product Understandable
His fourth principle is that good design makes a product understandable. A product is more appealing if you can immediately understand what it does, how it does it, and how it can help you.
Similar to my point in the third principle, PBS is relatively organized, manageable, and navigable even for those who aren’t as tech savvy. The options and resources are clear on the screen, and it’s not difficult to find things. In my opinion, PBS uses this principle well.
Principle 5: Good Design is Unobtrusive
His fifth principle is that good design is unobtrusive. This leaves room for the user’s self-expression, and doesn’t distract from the practicality of the product.
PBS’s site is a little crowded, as most modern streaming services are. However, there’s not really anything that doesn’t need to be there or doesn’t have a clear purpose. I would say that PBS uses this principle fairly well.
Principle 6: Good design is Long Lasting
His sixth principle is that good design is long lasting. Even in today’s throwaway society with things like fast fashion and single use products, long lasting products are still, and should be, valued. They save you money over time, and add value and familiarity to the product that you’ve been using for a while.
PBS has been around since 1969 – that’s over half a century. Although it lost funding and had to sell one of it’s most popular shows, Sesame Street, to HBO in 2025, PBS is still publicly available. PBS is, and has been, long lasting and beloved by many.
Principle 9: Good Design is Environmentally Friendly
His ninth principle – and most important, in my opinion – is that good design is sustainable and environmentally friendly. This ties in to the long lasting principle, as single use products aren’t usually sustainable. Good design conserves resources, and minimizes the amount of pollution put into our environment. We need the planet to survive and keep designing, after all.
As a media company that operates almost completely online, PBS is generally environmentally friendly. It doesn’t generate significant pollution, and it has videos and shows that teach children and adults about nature, and how to love and conserve it, which is an important part of sustainability. In my opinion, PBS uses this principle well; maybe in a different way than Dieter Rams meant, but PBS still follows this principle relatively well.
Principle 10: Good Design is As Little Design as Possible
His tenth principle is that good design is as little design as possible. Good design concentrates on the essentials and nothing more. It’s pure and simple.
PBS’s site is organized, and doesn’t have anything significantly unnecessary or distracting. For a media company, I think PBS demonstrates this principle fairly well.
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