- Walt Whitman said,
"simplicity is the glory of expression."
As designers we create solutions
that create clarity and order.
It's a talent I found that many designers share.
Creating work that is simple sounds easy and fast.
Unfortunately it is neither.
It is much easier to pile on 30 colors,
15 type faces and 20 images on top of a complex pattern
than it is to make a singular form successful.
The multiple colors
and shapes might be appealing at first glance,
but these solutions often hide the tragic truth.
There is no, there, there.
The lack of a strong message or idea
is buried under the complexity.
It's as if the designer just kept adding elements
hoping more would make the idea work.
Simple solutions cut to the chase.
They present the information quickly and directly.
The simple layout communicates confidence.
Think of it in these terms,
when wearing a financial advisor,
do you trust the man in a simple gray suit and tie,
or the one who wears a new wacky vest to every meeting?
The idea of simplicity in graphic design
is an outgrowth of modernist ideas.
In the 1920s, a group of designers
and architects created the Bauhaus
a forward-thinking school in Germany.
They rejected the decoration of Victorian design
and adopted a minimal approach.
Design today, still follows much of their approach.
Many people are scared of simplicity.
I've often heard someone say, but that's not enough,
how will anyone know I did anything?
The point of good design is not to look labored
and desperate, it's to appear effortless.
Some of my favorite design solutions are remarkably minimal.
There are no extra elements.
There is nothing on the page just to look pretty.
Every image, piece of typography, or shape serves a purpose.
The cover for a photography publication
stands out against the competition
with its simple geometry and stark typography.
This poster by the amazing Jacqueline Casey
for an open house at MIT
has two curves, one typeface and two colors,
but it is resonant and strong 50 years later
and this layout for a poster announcing an exhibition works
because the designer knew when to stop
adding words or colors.
The world is a chaotic and messy place.
We are surrounded by still and moving messages every minute.
The simple solution stand out against this mess.
There is a simple trick when working with a simple layout,
be brave and like Coco Chanel said,
"put all your jewelry on and then take one piece off."