Simplicity

I have been reading a book called "The Laws of Simplicity" by author and professor John Maeda. Our world is becoming a complex place and has been becoming so for thousands of years. The book is full of anecdotal knowledge and I found it a thought provoking read. The author has a background in design and much of the book is about 'simplicity in design'. I will draw the distinction that simple design (ie apple i-pod) does not always imply simplicity - perhaps it is better described as the illusion of simplicity. A fruit fly is simple in design (in my opinion) -relative to humans and perhaps complex relative to a single celled organism.

Here is a passage from the book on "design approach"


"The best designers marry function with form to create intuitive experiences that we understand immediately-no lessons needed. Good design relies to some extent on the ability to install a sense of instant familiarity. "Hey, I've seen that before!" is a targeted reaction that builds the confidence to give it a try. The Gestalt principles of design rely on our mind's ability to "fill in the blank" by synthesizing plausible relationships. Design starts by leveraging the human instinct to relate, followed by translating the relationship into a tangible object or service and then add in a little surprise at the end to make your audience's efforts worthwhile . "

Relate - translate -surprise.
Sound familiar ?