Simple does not mean Easy

My natural approach to graphic design is one of simplicity, clarity and relevance. Minimal shapes, carefully considered.

It should look effortless… but appearances are deceptive. 

To reach this state, I will have experimented with many subtle shifts in size, angle, weight, juxtaposition etc. and usually I will have added many elements that simply don’t contribute anything so have been discarded.

The primary function of design is communication, not decoration.

When I have answered the brief, my solution is usually quite simple and can give the impression that it has been created with little effort, that it was ‘easy’ and sometimes the client may initially have the dreaded ‘my 6 year old could have done that!’ 

I would argue that simplicity is harder to capture because you have to really focus on the message. Elements have nowhere to hide, the relationships need to be considered and explored to exhaustion; if they are not 100% right then they are 100% wrong. Adding lots of colours, layers, textures, filters etc can be unnecessary distractions and are sometimes a smokescreen, confusing the client into thinking that complicated must be clever. 

Of course, all design should be relevant, and minimalism is not always the right answer. If decoration and flamboyance is called for, that is what is delivered. Although I naturally strip design back, I am versatile and can adopt the tone that is required. 

Every brief is a unique challenge, that is what is so exciting about design; a new question to answer and a new personality to convey. A good designer should be invisible - offering the best answer, without bias to their taste or current style. 

As one of the most influential product designers of the twentieth century, Dieter Rams, said ‘good design is as little design as possible’

#minimal #simple #branding