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Braun RT 20 Radio

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Braun RT 20 Radio frontBraun RT 20 Radio - logo dieter ramsBraun RT 20 Radio - frequency dialsBraun RT 20 Radio - knopsBraun RT 20 Radio - frequency dialsBraun RT 20 Radio - backside closedBraun RT 20 Radio - backside antennaBraun RT 20 Radio - type print backsideBraun RT 20 Radio - full view inside Braun RT 20 Radio - inside closeupBraun RT 20 Radio - socketsBraun RT 20 Radio - volt changerBraun RT 20 Radio - details with tubes Braun RT 20 Radio - inside views glowing tubes

Braun RT 20 Radio by Dieter Rams 1961:
I always wanted a tube radio, so a couple of years ago I found this Braun RT 20. The usual tube radios with their mostly dark brown and rustic design were a lesser option. I love the design but the soul of this radio as well. It takes about 10 seconds to start making sound (sometimes I forgot that I switched it on by then) and It takes some adjustments to the frequency after some minutes.

Only about 6600 pieces were built around 1961 by Braun Frankfurt – Germany.
Most will know the famous Schneewitchensarg record player SK-4 by Dieter Rams. 

I have to retune the frequency …

Dieter Rams – Ten Principles of Good Design

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Dieter Rams – Ten Principles of Good Design:

1.

Good design is innovative

The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.

2.

Good design makes a product useful

A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

3.

Good design is aesthetic

The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

4.

Good design makes a product understandable

It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.

5.

Good design is unobtrusive

Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.

6.

Good design is honest

It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

7.

Good design is long-lasting

It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.

8.

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 consumer.

9.

Good design is environmentally-friendly

Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

10.

Good design is as little design as possible

Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.