We’ve all heard the phrase “less is more,” in a variety of different instances. But just how important is it in design?
In this episode, we discuss this well-known phrase, not only in the design realm, but also in regards to your site’s content, brand, and usability. Also, what’s the difference between “blandness” and “simplicity?”
You guessed it—we’ll cover this as well.
The sponsor of this episode is Audible. Go to AudibleTrial.com/RightlyDesigned to start your 30-day free trial and get any audiobook, totally free.
The topics we’ll cover in this episode:
- Where did the phrase “less is more” come from?
- Unnecessary complexity: one of the most common mistakes in design
- A recent client Email that highlights the importance of the “less is more” approach to design
- Some quotes (writing and design) that help capture the “less is more concept” (see below)
- The difference between “simplicity” and “blandness”
Also, here are the quotes shared in this episode:
“Brevity is the soul of wit.”
―William Shakespeare, Hamlet“I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter.”
―Blaise Pascal, The Provincial Letters“Take great pains to be clear. Remember that though you start by knowing what you mean, the reader doesn’t, and a single ill-chosen word may lead him to a total misunderstanding. In a story it is terribly easy just to forget that you have not told the reader something that he needs to know—the whole picture is so clear in your own mind that you forget that it isn’t the same in his.”
—C.S. Lewis“Always try to use the language so as to make quite clear what you mean and make sure your sentence couldn’t mean anything else.”
—C.S. Lewis“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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