Robert Gernhardt: Gesammelte Gedichte. There are endless, and futile, attempts to define quality in design (or lets rather say in anything we make). The easy ways out are to either find a safe ground on hard facts and restrict the verdict to judging by counting, or to seek refuge in ideologies, movements, or fashions and thus limit the evaluation to judging by prejudices. My favourite escape from this question lies in a poem by Robert Gernhardt.
ALS ER GEFRAGT WURDE,
WIE EIN GUTES GEDICHT
BESCHAFFEN SEIN SOLLTE:
Gut gefühlt
Gut gefügt
Gut gedacht
Gut gemacht.
(WHEN HE WAS ASKED, / HOW A GOOD POEM / SHALL BE MADE: / Well felt / Well joined / Well thought / Well made.) translation by NK