This is entry six of a ten-part series based on Dieter Rams’ Ten Principles of Good Design. The Journal asked writers and illustrators to contribute to the project. Each writer wrote on one of Rams’ principles; each illustrator reacted to a writer’s essay.

Good design is honest is a fine principle. Maybe even a great principle. But what does it really mean? What is honest in the scheme of capitalism, which is where design is a vital commodity?

Honest can be interpreted in a very literal way. For instance, good design is original. That is, it is not stolen. It may derive from many inspirations (or just one) but in its final form it is unique unto itself. It can also be defined as spiritual. For instance, good design is pure design. In other words, the form is true to the function, and the materials are true to the values underscoring the reason for designing it. Finally, it could be viewed from an aesthetic perspective: honesty is beauty or not depending on the designer’s goal.

Is the opposite of honest design, design that lies? And if it lies, in what way? Bad materials? Poor form? Trivial qualities? False! Pretentious! Kitsch!

Frankly, I never use the word honest when it comes to design. It is one of those high falutin’ modernist buzzwords, used to cover over the fact that most design is meant to manipulate behavior. Is that honest? Well, honestly, if we admit the fact that design is meant to guide, frame and otherwise motivate then we can agree manipulation is the end product. Now, that can be good or bad. But honest? Good design doesn’t always tell the whole truth, it tells the truth that a designer – and often a client – wants to tell.

Steven Heller wrote on Rams’ sixth principle, Good design is honest. Mr Heller is a notable author, writer for Print Magazine and co-chair of the MFA Designer as Author program at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Emory Allen created the above illustration based on Mr Heller’s essay. Mr Allen works under the studio name Ocular Invasion. He currently works for the motion graphics and animation studio Make.