Today, I want to share a little adventure I had, which got me thinking about the importance of good design. You see, I was in my local post office recently, and a greeting card caught my eye. It said, "I hear you're ill?" But the spacing between the letters and words was so poor, it was almost unreadable.
This is where the power of good design comes in. "Good design, when it’s done well, becomes invisible. It’s only when it’s done poorly that we notice it," as Jared Spool wisely said. This is a perfect illustration of that.
Good design isn't about flashy graphics or innovative layouts. It's about conveying a message clearly and efficiently. And often, the best design is the one you don't even notice because it facilitates smooth and clear communication. As Dieter Rams once asserted, "Good design is as little design as possible."
In our post office case, instead of focusing on the empathy and support behind the words of the greeting card, a reader may find themselves distracted by the awkward spacing, thus overshadowing the card's purpose. The poor design, in this case, takes centre stage.
This card experience brought me back to the basics. Design is about communication, clarity, and usability. As we continue to create and enjoy design, let's remember that less is often more, and the best design work goes unnoticed. After all, "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works," to quote Steve Jobs.
Keep creating, keep innovating, but most importantly, keep it clear and keep it simple.
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