A collection of Rules and principles for and from Design Practice

Some people collect stamps, we collect rules: funny ones, stupid ones, useful, the best of the best… like for example the Gestalt-rules. Break them only if you know them (rule no. 18).

  1. Just talking is not enough
  2. Learning through visualisation, hands-on experimentalism, and creating quick prototypes
  3. Be integer
  4. Have a spirit of goodness
  5. Make a plan…
  6. Stay focus on topic
  7. Follow the Vitruvian Virtues (Utilitas, Venustas, Firmitas)…
  8. …and Dieter Rams 10 principles for good design
  9. Tell visual Stories (Felix's PPiPP principle ⇒ Put Pictures into your Power Point Presentation)
  10. Work interdisciplinary
  11. Be ready to say no
  12. Stay open-minded
  13. Make your workspace a Living Art Memoria (as a technique of remembering)
  14. Structure your data
  15. Name your files
  16. Back-up
  17. Practice design – not decoration
  18. Break the rules only if you know them (ART+COM Studios)
  19. The No Asshole Rule
  20. Keep it simple, stupid (the KISS principle)
  21. The unspectacular things are the important things (Dieter Rams)
  22. Ask Why/reflect
  23. Form teams
  24. Be a hard worker
  25. Create an atmosphere of debate and a culture of constructive controversy (ART+COM Studios)
  26. Make the world a much better place, by design, in every moment
  27. Encourage wild ideas
  28. Have an eye on the future
  29. Have a passion for change
  30. Trust your colleagues, share challenge and responsibility (ART+COM Studios)
  31. Share experiences, knowledge and results, internally and externally (ART+COM Studios)
  32. Stay motivated to experiment
  33. Build on the experience of others
  34. Failing means learning
  35. Venture outside the box ⇒ Forget about the box!
  36. Play and Enquire
  37. Enjoy collaborative Ideation
  38. Create more value then you capture
  39. Fail often to succeed sooner
  40. Chaos can be constructive
  41. Have the courage to fail (ART+COM Studios)
  42. Rapid (!) prototyping
  43. Have an identifiable attitude (ART+COM Studios)
  44. Do things nobody has done before
  45. DIY
  46. Teach (ART+COM Studios)
  47. Take risks
  48. Have an eye on design
  49. Anyone who has nothing to communicate looks for style, anyone who lives by materialism honours the spirit, anyone who does business is furthering culture. (Otl Aicher)
  50. Develop your professional skills
  51. Cross borders
  52. Support and be supported
  53. Network
  54. If you can't make it good, make it big.
  55. If you can't make it big, make it red.