the man had heard something from a friend about a dieter rams exhibition coming to the art space in town, but it didn’t cross his mind again till driving past the space after work the other day. a new project wall had been installed.

the man had heard something from a friend about a dieter rams exhibition coming to the art space in town, but it didn’t cross his mind again till driving past the space after work the other day. a new project wall had been installed.

intrigued, he checked his watch. 4:15. time to spare before he had to be home. he took a turn onto 43rd and pulled into the parking lot.

he walked into the building, and was met with large wall graphics outlining the different spaces of the exhibit.

choosing the experience, he was prompted to download an application that would serve as an accompaniment to the experience.

choosing the experience, he was prompted to download an application that would serve as an accompaniment to the experience.

tapping start tour,

tapping start tour,

he was given a choice of narratives to follow through eyes of three personas, each a member of a family who’s home and lives he’s been invited to live through. the man considered himself more of a bruce than a cheryl, so tapping on the character’s picture, he started the tour.

he was given a choice of narratives to follow through eyes of three personas, each a member of a family who’s home and lives he’s been invited to live through. the man considered himself more of a bruce than a cheryl, so tapping on the character’s picture, he started the tour.

Through the application, the man is introduced to Bruce, who is coming home from work in the year 1964.

Through the application, the man is introduced to Bruce, who is coming home from work in the year 1964.

At Bruce’s arrival, the man is directed through a staged facade of the home, and is pointed around the corner to a space set as an outdoor patio.

There, a rolled up newspaper, a large silver cylinder table lighter, and an ash tray sit on a table. Settling in to one of the patio chairs, the man checked his phone.

Bruce walked in the house, and hearing his family busy in the living room, snuck out to the patio for a moment to relax, read the paper, and have a quiet cigarette. Taking the table lighter, he lit his cigarette, took a long drag, unrolled the paper, and read the headlines about about a new pop sensation making the country buzz in excitement ahead of their national television debut.

Moving in to the living room, the man was met by a large, modern space with a black and white television standing in the corner.

After dinner, Bruce and his family gather in the living room. He watches, amused, as his daughter, Jane, sits on her knees and bounces excitedly inches away from the television as they watch together as this new group takes the stage. Jane, hardly able to form full sentences, runs up to Bruce, and begs him to take her to the record store the next day.

from that moment on, Bruce’s hard earned wages went in to 45s strewn across Jane’s bedroom floor and into ever changing posters of her latest obsessions on the walls.

He even bought her her own record player so that she could listen on her own, quietly contained in her bedroom.

now Jane is older than he was then, her own family making noise in the living room while she finishes work in the office her dad once spent so many late hours in. She hadn’t thought of that day in 1964 for a long time.

Wishing she could see him again, she walked to the bookshelf and flipped through a photo album sitting sandwiched between some of her father’s old books, seeing old faces once again in a time long since passed. She had lived her life through Dieter Rams’ products, a life by design.

finishing the first floor’s narrative, the man walked upstairs, able to take a step and see the overall effect of Rams products throughout time.

He took a moment to read Dieter’s principles...

as other visitors moved about below.

As he moved deeper into the space, streams of video from each era lined the shelves, providing a backdrop for the products.

He checked his watch and saw that it was his turn to head home. Before he departed he came across a quote that summarized his experience: You cannot understand good design if you do not understand people; design is made for people. It must harmonize with a human being’s strengths, dimensions, senses, and understanding.