Legendary German designer Dieter Rams — whose approach, among others, influenced Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ive in their creation of Apple’s design innovations of the recent decade — may well be considered one of the most influential, and perhaps least known, voices in the design industry.
Viewing his work as an antidote to the uncoordinated ugliness of color and form, his creations are the very foundation of predominant design language today: Purist, simple and elemental.
To articulate his notion of good design in a more tangible fashion, Rams defined ten principles of assessment, using these to test his own work against the set standard.
As it turns out, his principles are so universal and relevant that they apply in equal terms to strategy. While contemporary design already embraces his direction, business strategy has yet a long way to go in attaining similar sophistication.
There are two main objectives to this article — firstly, I aim to show that strategy and design share a great deal of similarity; secondly, it should become evident that the two fields are highly integrative.
A principal reason why innovation is more often a buzzword than a tangible outcome lies in this very separation of these two functions within organisations, and I aim to show the divide is both unreasonable and unjustified.
Applying design to strategy
1. Good design is innovative. Good strategy defines the future and moves beyond the best that already exists today — it honors the uniqueness of every organisation, the context it operates in and the people driving it, all of which calls for bespoke, original solutions that re-define and advance industries and segments.
A strategy is useless without creation, it must advance the existing, rather than merely repeat it.
2. Good design makes a product useful. Good strategy lends a rationale to any endeavour, defining the opportunity space and suggesting usage patterns that add value to people’s lives.
While fairly obvious, it appears as though strategists easily get carried away inflating a shiny facade that distracts, rather than working with actual value-add offered to customers.
Also Read: How to develop a successful long-term business strategy in 9 simple steps
3. Good design is aesthetic. A good strategy is immediately appealing to people and easily understood by its audiences — it is pure, simple and clear.
4. Good design makes a product understandable. A good strategy ensures people intuitively comprehend any communication targeting them.
5. Good design is inconspicuous. Good strategy avoids pretention or pride — built on the premises of expecting the best and preparing for the worst, it remains humble and practical.
6. Good design is honest. Good strategy encapsulates truth and insights — it is aspirational, without ever overpromising or losing touch with reality.
7. Good design is longstanding. Good strategy survives trends and fashions, it outlines a sustainable value proposition — remaining relevant over time.
Also Read: 9 steps to create a successful product launch strategy
8. Good design is rigorous to the last detail. A good strategy is always consistent, thorough and synchronised — if its components integrate seamlessly and harmoniously with each other, coordinated execution becomes possible.
9. Good design is sustainable. Good strategy must consider multiple bottom lines, it must carry an inherent social or environmental benefit. A lean approach with positive externality maximises value creation and margins — as such, it is in equal terms superior from a commercial point of view and stakeholder perspective.
10. Good design is as little design as possible. Good strategy embraces simplicity as the ultimate sophistication, synthesising a great amount of data from multiple sources and transforming complexity into actionable solutions.
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Image Credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters
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