Final Thoughts

In visual aesthetics, it seems that simpler is better in almost every case.  Information is understood and absorbed better when it is presented simply and without any visual frills.  It’s been hard to determine when what I’m designing, though it may seem clean and simple, is actually more complex than it needs to be.  Buttons and icons are especially challenging in this regard.  In almost every project I’ve leaned that less is more- fewer colors, less decoration, less descriptive text.  Everything can be boiled down to its most essential piece, and that is the only thing that needs to be included in a design.

When going through the process of finding the best idea for a project, I’ve noticed that whether it’s the first idea or the fiftieth, usually the idea I go with, the most successful idea, is the one that feels right.  I am excited about the executing the idea I go with, I can see the design in my mind, and I don’t feel any doubt going forward in the process.  Doubt usually creeps in my head during several points in the process, but it helps me refine my design and move forward.

A lot of our blogs this semester have been about finding inspiration for design.  We have listened or read what good designers say about the process, and while this is interesting, I don’t find it the best source of inspiration.  They say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, and that many writers develop their style by first imitating the style of those writers they admire.  But what is also true is that these writers break the conventions they learn in order to create their own style, their own aesthetic.  I have found that to be very true in writing, and have learned a lot about writing by simply reading. A lot.  And now to learn about design, I find it the most helpful to just observe.  I like looking at the patterns in the fabrics in my apartment for inspiration, looking out the window on my drive home at billboards, power lines, and trees, and looking around on the Internet at art and design that strikes my fancy.   But I also think it’s helpful to just sit and think about what I’m designing.  This was the best advice my senior thesis adviser gave me- just sit and think about your project, don’t do anything else, and consider the whole picture.  I think this really applies for design, because sometimes to fix a problem or find that last touch to finish a project, all it takes is just being quiet and looking at the whole picture.