Simple.

43 Comments

• Permalink for this comment Seth Aldridge says: January 19, 2009

  

  I have some clients who say they want something simple, but those are always the clients who end up asking me to put a random box full of a solid color to “take up space”. :)

• Permalink for this comment GW says: January 19, 2009

  

  I have a client that want’s to have this long contact form that has like 13 inputs and wants all this above the fold… aka his fold which he is on 1024×768 which he has like every tool bar add-on. … so his web viewing area is like 400px high…

• Permalink for this comment Travis Chillemi says: January 19, 2009

  

  My favorite misconception about simple is that simple equals fast and cheap. I have always found the simpler tools more difficult and time-intensive to design/develop.

• Permalink for this comment Mike says: January 19, 2009

  

  “That looks great but I’ve got a couple of quick simple fixes here. Let’s add a logo here, how about some kind of advert over there to fill in that white space? It looks empty. On second thought, let’s make that logo a little bigger. Oh, and can we just go ahead and make sure that it doesn’t scroll?

  Can you center everything? That looks better I think.

  But you know you’re the designer…”

  -More Clients then I care to remember

• Permalink for this comment Fred Yates says: January 19, 2009

  

  @Mike “can we make the logo bigger?” is always my favorite.

  Would I be a bad person if I may have said no a time or two?

• Permalink for this comment Chris Wallace says: January 19, 2009

  

  Your site is green.

• Permalink for this comment Daniel Carvalho says: January 19, 2009

  

  @Travis Chillemi: You’ve just mentioned one of my core beliefs regarding design. A concept which can be hard for some to swallow when looking at a design retrospectively. I remember thinking about this very thing when I was in my car, headed home one day. While I was driving, this phrase came to me.

  Difficulty and time taken are not prerequisites to a good design.

  Difficulty could probably be interchanged with effort but basically what I mean there is, although the process of say, designing an identity was most likely difficult and took a long time, in retrospective review by a casual critiquer, he could claim that he could reproduce said design rather easily and quickly. It would be great if we could always see the end picture, composition, white space, etc… but we know better. It’s astounding to me the time that can be spent playing with one word of type and a single shape.

  There are so many real life examples of simple and effective design, especially when in the field of logos to support this. I know I’ve reiterated the essence of what you said, but I couldn’t help expounding on it.

• Permalink for this comment Mike D. says: January 19, 2009

  

  I agree with Chris.

• Permalink for this comment Wiktor Sarota says: January 19, 2009

  

  For me problem is where is the end of simplicity and where start complexity.

• Permalink for this comment Peter V Cook says: January 19, 2009

  

  “…making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” -Charles Mingus

• Permalink for this comment Jason Santa Maria says: January 19, 2009

  

  @ Chris Wallace and Mike D :

  It looked like a light blue on my computer, but I’ve checked it out a few other places and it does indeed seem greenish (more like a teal, IMO). I’ve updated the tags :)

• Permalink for this comment Chris Meeks says: January 19, 2009

  

  How do we effectively communicate that “simple” isn’t synonymous with “empty”?

  What each of you seem to be getting at is that many clients don’t tend to see negative space as providing anything useful.

  I think negative space is remarkably useful in its ability to direct attention, but that argument is hard to win with people who still obsess about things being “below the fold.”

• Permalink for this comment Chris Wallace says: January 19, 2009

  

  Touché my friend, touché.

• Permalink for this comment Patrick Algrim says: January 19, 2009

  

  I love Gotham, it really is the perfect font for almost everything.

• Permalink for this comment Jason Santa Maria says: January 19, 2009

  

  @ Chris Meeks :

  I think negative space is remarkably useful in its ability to direct attention, but that argument is hard to win with people who still obsess about things being “below the fold.”

  Oh, absolutely. White space is just as important as the space filled with stuff. There has been lots of research done, mostly notably to my mind by Jared Spool’s company User Interface Engineering , on the notion of the fold and findability.

  Many times clients request we fill space on their pages because they are trying to affect the meaning of a design (by cramming lots of information in). It’s our job to back up our insights with research findings, best practices, and to convey that just because something is present on a page doesn’t mean that people will read/digest it. Content doesn’t always contain meaning on its own, design is there to give it context and desirability.

  I’ve always loved this quote from Tschichold:

  “White space is to be regarded as an active element, not a passive background.”
  —Jan Tschichold

• Permalink for this comment Paul says: January 19, 2009

  

  There is a vast difference between simplicity and plain. Many ‘simple’ sites are difficult to browse, make the visitor think too much and don’t convey the message.

  Simple sites are the ones you don’t remember as they just work. The bad sites always stick in your head.

• Permalink for this comment Adam Polselli says: January 19, 2009

  

  If you keep makin’ this site look so good, I’m gonna eat it and there’ll be nothing left! Careful! Honestly, though, the homepage is looking just perfect today. Me thinks this black, white, and washed out teal combo is a winner.

• Permalink for this comment Andrew says: January 19, 2009

  

  Another related quote.
  “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint Exupery

• Permalink for this comment Jon Schlossberg says: January 19, 2009

  

  I’ve been struggling mightily to convince a current client that white space is important. The site is a network with tons of dynamic content, so I’ve been trying to declutter with as much white space as possible. Man, it’s tough when their only comment is “can we make the logo bigger?”

  Am I wrong for standing up for my decisions to the point of beating a dead horse? I mean, they hired me as a designer, not a CSS robot…right? Right?

• Permalink for this comment Jason Santa Maria says: January 19, 2009

  

  @ Jon Schlossberg :

  Am I wrong for standing up for my decisions to the point of beating a dead horse? I mean, they hired me as a designer, not a CSS robot…right? Right?

  You’re not wrong! It’s our job to educate clients on the reason we design the way we do. It’s usually an uphill battle, and not one that you win every time, but it’s gotta be done.

• Permalink for this comment Jon Schlossberg says: January 19, 2009

  

  You’re not wrong! It’s our job to educate clients on the reason we design the way we do. It’s usually an uphill battle, and not one that you win every time, but it’s gotta be done.

  Yeah, I just wish there was a foolproof way of doing it. It’s hard when I can also see the business-minded thought being put into their explanation for wanting a bigger logo or more content above the fold, but ultimately it’s the overall quality of the design that guides users towards improving the client’s bottom line.

  I just wish that argument worked in real life.

• Permalink for this comment Jason Santa Maria says: January 19, 2009

  

  @ Jon Schlossberg :

  I just wish that argument worked in real life.

  I feel your pain, man. It’s worked for me dozens of times, but like I said, not every time. There isn’t a foolproof way to make this happen, but it’s also not a good idea to sit back and get steamrolled by clients.

• Permalink for this comment Jon Schlossberg says: January 19, 2009

  

  …but it’s also not a good idea to sit back and get steamrolled by clients.

  Haha, absolutely. Knowing when to draw the line is an artform itself, and it’s one they definitely don’t teach in school.

• Permalink for this comment Matt Robin says: January 19, 2009

  

  Firstly: Yeah, teal…(wasn’t expecting that Jason, hehe!) ;)

  Secondly: I also saw a good article recently about simplification elsewhere too…here: Complex Order, Simple Chaos by Andy Rutledge
  That might add to the argument (not my thoughts, but Andy’s of course!) …‘avoiding simple’ must be the topic at the moment I suppose.

  Jon: Educating some clients about the benefits of whitespace is a challenge – but a worthy one ultimately. I seem to dip in to a bag of metaphors a lot to explain things like this as effectively as I possibly can.

• Permalink for this comment Daus says: January 20, 2009

  

  It’s always a pleasure to visit your site, everytime there is an update.

• Permalink for this comment Lucian E. Marin says: January 20, 2009

  

  For me problem is where is the end of simplicity and where start complexity.

  I think the complexity starts when we talk too much and do too little.

• Permalink for this comment DocDave says: January 20, 2009

  

  And I thought I was the only one who had clients that confused the definition of a simple site.

  Simplicity, or a simple site are two entirely different things from a designers and a clients perspective. Simple is a well executed design plan making a presentation of material appear clutter free and to the point from a clients point of view. Simple from a designers standpoint is throw up some HTML with a nice page header and some content.

• Permalink for this comment miss. shellie says: January 21, 2009

  

  @Jon – ‘Man, it’s tough when their only comment is “can we make the logo bigger?”

  So this guy walks into a bar and he struts up to this fine lookin’ hottie and decides to flash his big shiny “logo” around.

  *

  She kicks him in the nuts.

  *

  Moral of the story: Just because you have a big “logo” doesn’t mean more people will want to sleep with you (create revenue, click on your call to action, become a return visitor, find your site useful).

  You have to say hello and get to know each another a bit (texture, depth, white space, hierarchy, usability, accessibility) – the interaction between the user and these elements is the key to true love (good design).

  *

  Um, yeah, so I’ve had a lot of coffee today and little to eat. Forgive me for this terrible analogy.

• Permalink for this comment Kurt Cruse says: January 21, 2009

  

  @ miss.shellie
  

  She kicks him in the nuts

  What kind of coffee are you drinking and where can I buy some? Who am I kidding, I’ll just take some out of your cabinet.

  Honestly though, I don’t get the ‘bigger logo’ feeback as much as I get the request to link to every single possible page from the homepage. Recently I’ve been also getting requests to make my buttons look more ‘buttony’. AKA can we put a big bevel on it and some drop shadow.

• Permalink for this comment ikram.hakimi says: January 22, 2009

  

  nice quote!

• Permalink for this comment waltermalling says: January 25, 2009

  

  why this color? it really is truly the color of pigeon poop after it coalesces with itself over time. congrats/regards leaving happy cog. will you miss the lunch options in that neighborhood?

• Permalink for this comment Bernd Artmüller says: January 26, 2009

  

  hey, really nice quote. also like your other articles

• Permalink for this comment Mike Metcalf says: January 26, 2009

  

  Great conversation. I’ve added 3 new quotes to my inspiration folder. Also, I created an inspiration folder.

  Love the teal Jason.

• Permalink for this comment Jose Espinal says: January 28, 2009

  

  “I don’t have options, if you need options go to someone else…I’m here to solve your problem”

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb8idEf-Iak&feature=channel_page

• Permalink for this comment Jack says: January 28, 2009

  

  Thought this link would be appreciated here: http://www.makemylogobiggercream.com/

  :)

• Permalink for this comment Ali Reid says: January 29, 2009

  

  Did it ever occur to you guys that you are making the logo too small?

• Permalink for this comment Jon Schlossberg says: January 29, 2009

  

  Did it ever occur to you guys that you are making the logo too small?

  A fair question.

  Identities — and their sizes — are complicated beasts. There are dozens of books on the subject, and even more talented individuals who do an amazing job specializing in their design. While I certainly don’t consider myself an expert on identity design, I know a good logo when I see one. Perhaps more importantly, I know how to use a good logo when I’m fortunate enough to be given one.

  For the most part, the quality of a logo is actually inversely proportional to how big it needs to be. In other words, great logos often look best when they’re small.

  Just as whitespace can be used to understate content and express a sense of elegance, style and class, using a quality identity in an understated (read: small) way can turn a typical identity into a powerful branding element. Conversely, overstating the same identity can be both overwhelming and distracting, and can even make a company seem like they’re compensating for something. Our product sucks, but isn’t our logo great?

  The best (and most obvious) example of this is Apple, but there are plenty of others. HP, GE, and Digg are a few good ones that come to mind.

• Permalink for this comment izzat aziz says: February 01, 2009

  

  simple is the best.
  people say simple design is lazy, i say it actually just to be normal and stay on the ground.

• Permalink for this comment kat says: February 08, 2009

  

  Hi Jason, I came over because I heard your name mentioned by another designer and wanted to see your Web site. All I have to say is WOW! I’m ashamed to admit that all I know is WordPress, CSS and HTML, so my Web site is incredibly embarrassing, in fact it’s stuck in a blog template at the moment even though it’s so much more, but I don’t have the talent you have in your pinky in my whole body!

  I’ll keep coming back just to see how your posts morph.

  And personally, I love clean, minimalistic design. Simplicity, like truth, is beautiful.

• Permalink for this comment Day Two Webdesign says: February 14, 2009

  

  Jason, I think it is easy to make things complex, but that it takes GREAT SKILL to make the complex appear to be simple.

• Permalink for this comment Colin says: February 14, 2009

  

  Hrm.. I don’t think I’ve commented here yet. Love your work Jason, always have. Love the color on this one, too. Feels more like mint to me than teal. Anyway..

  My favorite explanation of white-space’s role in design came from a fellow designer, Trevor Dodd, (my mentor in many regards) during a design presentation. The client asked, “What’s with all this empty space? It doesn’t seem to have a meaning.”

  Trevor’s response was so fluid and matter-of-fact that the client didn’t think twice about it.

  Trevor said, “The white space means Don’t look here. Look over here, at the important stuff; the stuff we want you to look at.”

  I struggled not to let out a chuckle. The client was flying from the ropes and Trevor put a boot right in his face. Out cold. I loved it.

• Permalink for this comment Jehzeel Laurente says: February 14, 2009

  

  I just noticed that each and every page on this site has a different set of stylesheet

  wow! UR AWESOME! this is the only website I saw with different CSS on each post and each page…

  You’re very diligent in creating different CSS for every post to make it unique. yay!

  I wish I could be like you someday…

• Permalink for this comment Benj Espina says: February 14, 2009

  

  ^ What jehzlau said!

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