Design by Omission Published Thu Jan 31 16:30:00 SAST 2013

I like to design by omitting, by gradually subtracting each element and weighing its loss. Try to leave out that essential gradient, alluring drop-shadow, distracting emphasis and superfluous, leading adjective.

Form follows fashion when it should follow function, but fashion consists of [trends][1]. Trends in form are transient, but functional design never goes out of fashion.

Subtract until only useful [affordances][3] remain.
This is the path to [functional minimalism][7].

[1]: /posts/timeless-trendy-design.html "Trendy vs. Timeless Design" [2]: http://www.uiandus.com/blog/2009/7/26/realizations-of-rounded-rectangles.html "Realizations of Rounded Rectangles" [3]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affordance "Affordance" [4]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suit_(clothing) "Like suits (clothing) - Wikipedia" [5]: http://www.eamonfulcher.com/CogPsych/page3.htm "" [6]: http://uxmovement.com/thinking/why-rounded-corners-are-easier-on-the-eyes/ "Why Rounded Corners are Easier on the Eyes" [7]: http://semaphorian.blogspot.com/p/efm.html "An Introduction to the Aesthetics of Functional Minimalism" [8]: http://macknik.neuralcorrelate.com/pdf/articles/troncoso_et_al_Art_and_Perception_chapter.pdf "Corner salience varies linearly with corner angle during flicker-augmented contrast: a general principle of corner perception based on Vasarely’s artworks" [9]: http://barlab.mgh.harvard.edu/papers/Curved2006.pdf "Humans Prefer Curved Visual Objects" [10]: http://jn.physiology.org/content/82/5/2490.full "Responses to Contour Features in Macaque Area V4"