Keep it simple.

The other day a friend sent me this quote on design by branding expert, Tom Peters:

“Design is the essence of emotional attachment to a product or service or experience ... and therefore the wellspring of the corporate culture (or "soul") and of the brand proposition itself.”

This seems true, right? “… the wellspring of the corporate culture (or soul)…”  

Well, as someone who’s been designing logos, ads, brochures, tv commercials and a lot other things for years, this has become a subject I often think about. This quote makes me feel like I’ve gone back to Mrs. MacAdams’ 10th grade English Lit class. Hmm, just what is the author trying to convey here?

I mean no disrespect to Mr. Peters. He makes a nice summation of the world of design. It’s just that it’s more like a sociological definition rather than a practical one pertaining to those in the creative ad world.

In this ad world, there are a lot of factors that go into a design project, usually a list of job parameters, creative objectives, client demands, costs considerations, and of course, the task of creating something unique. We usually do not start out trying to redefine the corporate culture.

The task at hand, when designing in this complicated world, is to simplify.

Years ago, a creative director of mine would always say when giving me a job request, “I don’t know design, but just keep it simple. And make it look good.”

Those words have rung true in many a design project, whether it’s an ad, a logo or even a tv spot. 

Just strip-it down to its’ simplest form and focus on the idea. Get rid of the gobbledeegook. The more stuff you can eliminate from the job, the better it will look. Yes, less is more.

Here’s a few other quotes on design:

“What works good is better than what looks good. Because what works good lasts.”  Ray Eames, Architect, Graphic and Industrial Designer, Filmmaker

“To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master.”  Milton Glaser, Graphic Designer

“Design, in its broadest sense, is the enabler of the digital era - it’s a process that creates order out of chaos that renders technology usable to business. Design means being good, not just looking good.”  Clement Mok, Design Business: Multiple Media, Multiple Disciplines

I’ve included a couple of recent wine ads and Macdonalds poster that have kept it simple.

 

  

Comments

[Rick]

I am also reminded of something I learned when I started in this business over 30 years ago. The more you make the consumer think and interpret what you are saying as opposed to just getting and relating to the message, the less likely it is to work. It seems that the more things change, the more they remain the same. Keeping it simple and straight forward -- even with an emotional message -- always seems to connect the the consumer. This is a message we should always be reminding ourselves.

[Russ]

Steve, remember the days when some of our up and coming art directors would use unreadable (yet "cool") fonts on a regular basis woven into layouts that were just plain bad and uncommunicative? If we could have spanked them, we would have, eh?

I salute your simple soliloquy to simplicity!

[Greg]

Ah...the old K.I.S.S. principle. Keep It Simple, Stupid!