Less Is Better
Insight
Our main aim with every project is to deliver more than expected. No matter how complex the problem, we always place emphasis on giving creativity more flexibility and freedom to enhance the experience for all parties from the client, the user, and the internal design team.
Starting a project is a complex beast; fluctuating between the design process and chaos but that is where creativity is born – At Tall it is no different however our modular approach to any brand always has a focus of digital at its core. So how does this work in an ever-evolving landscape?
The Thinking
Every designer or design agency’s main goal is to create good design’s – but how can you make good design without core principles and a platform to work from?
German industrial designer Dieter Rams created ten principles for good design due to be becoming increasingly concerned by the state of the world around him back in the late 1970s.
“An impenetrable confusion of forms, colours and noises.”
Most famed for his time designing consumer products at Braun and Vitsœ. In recent times appearing in various design films – known for his unobtrusive approach and belief in “less but better” design generated a timeless quality in his products and have influenced the design of many products, which also secured Rams’ worldwide recognition and appreciation.
So what are the ten principles for good design?
Good design…
- is innovative
- makes a product useful
- is aesthetic
- makes a product understandable
- is unobtrusive
- is honest
- is long-lasting
- is consistent through to the last detail
- is environmentally friendly
- is as little design as possible
… But wait this is for product design?!
Take a step back and look at the theory, these principles can be easily adapted and applied to digital – with a focus on “designing less but better”.
The Approach
Let’s start thinking about smart design and the modular process – how does this apply when approaching a project?
Make it simple
Find the perfect balance by simplifying the rules across brand or digital so you can apply more effort in creative output and make improvements in the future.
Flexible
Be open to different types of media such as 3D and motion to enhance the content, make sure it’s scalable and consistent across all the different touch-points.
Interactive
The design considers not just appearance, but also animation, function, and interaction – There are different types of users, so from a design perspective question, could that piece of content be more engaging and how you can empower the user?
The Application
Smart design choices can benefit all parties…
The user will be made to feel…
- Visually engaged and interactively empowered
- Have a consistent brand message across multiple digital touch-points
Internal design team
- Allows them to share a unified vision for the client
- Have more creative freedom
- Constantly evolve with every project
- Challenge the norm
The client
- Feel more involved in the design process
- Find it a more cost-effective, more efficient and better use of budget
- Resulting in a more fluid brand design system
- Can make future improvements based on data
Functionality = Sophistication
So what can we take from the key principles of the less is better theory?
“The inordinate power of good design in everything we do… Designing thoughtfully, responsibly and intelligently.”
Brands trying to do too many things can dilute their message and values. By keeping the digital thinking Simple, Flexible and Interactive can enhance the user and device relationship which, in the end, helps to offer users engaging and meaningful interactions with your brand.