Respecting the User: Thorough to the Last Detail

Image credit: Food52

One of my design heroes, legendary industrial designer Dieter Rams, said “Good design is thorough down to the last detail. Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the user.​​”

I try to live by that credo, in my designs as well as most everything else, often to the great consternation of my gracious-but-eye-rolling husband. Let's just say that no one has ever accused me of not thinking things through. Or being low maintenance. (As I type this, I can almost hear the snickers and chortles of my siblings in hilarious agreement.) But it's because all that care and thoughtfulness and noticing adds up to RESPECT (cue Aretha Franklin).

Here is some of the thought that went into the design of my Visual Measuring Cups, available at welcomeindustries.com. Tidy nesting so they fit in a kitchen drawer? Check. Mathy typeface inspired by fraction worksheets? Check. Labels that get more legible, not less, with use? Check.

Let's just call it thorough to the last detail. :)