The Sixteen Commandments

For everyone who wonders what Modernism is exactly , here’s the creed from the German industrial designer whose work for the Braun electrical company makes him “the last survivor of the modern movement,” according to Stephen Bayley in “Taste”:

To me, good design means as little design as possible.

Simple is better than complicated.

Quiet is better than confusion.

Quiet is better than loud.

Unobtrustive is better than exciting.

Small is better than large.

Light is better than heavy.

Plain is better than colored.

Harmony is better than divergency.

Being well balanced is better than being exalted.

Continuity is better than change.

Sparse is better than profuse.

Neutral is better than aggressive.

The obvious is better than that which must be sought.

Few elements are better than many.

A system is better than single elements.

Dieter Rams, 1987

Can such an elegant creed be drafted for the Postmodern?