Design can be immensely rewarding, but it can also be deeply frustrating. Why, if humans were created to create, does the whole design process seem to oppose us at every turn?

In 1970, Dieter Rams penned his Ten Design Principles. The state of design was, at the time, “an impenetrable confusion of forms, colours and noises”, and so he felt compelled to start exploring what makes a design truly Good. Was he just adding to the noise? From ‘No. 1: Good Design is Innovative’ all the…