Get the FULL Picture.

There’s a thought that has been forming in my head the past few days. My wife went to a class about sustainable living, and a big part of that was reducing the clutter in your life; both physical and abstract. It got me thinking about how we find peace through minimalism. The clean desk. The tidy room. The empty table top. These things bring peace of mind, they inspire and allow room for creation and imagination, at least for me they do.

In this age we live in, so much of what was has been replaced by the digital. My laptop is in essence, a day planner, a calendar, a notebook, a pen, a typewriter, a desk, a clock, etc. The digital realm presents us with the opportunity to reduce our consumption of other objects. I keep thinking about that photo of Steve Jobs, sipping tea in an empty apartment; cross legged on the floor. It seems so zen, so unachievable. A ridiculous thought right!? How can not having anything be unachievable, it should be the most achievable of things. But it’s not.

Structure in time of chaos

Simplicity is not simple. Rather, the achievement of simplicity is not simple, it’s very very hard. I’ve been told that we crave simplicity, especially when we are not in control. When I’m stressed at work or at home I often find myself straightening the house or organizing my clutter. Our minds yearn for the structure that many of us, especially as creatives, have a hard time accomplishing.

If we look at Google insights and search for “minimalist”, we can clearly see that the term is on the rise, being used now 2x more than in 2005-07. But the rising trend didn’t start until 08. It seems the recession has brought with it a new wave of minimalists. I think we are in a state as a nation, in which we’re searching for less, not only because we have less, but because we want peace of mind.

Final thoughts

So what’s the take away? I’m not sure yet, but what I do know is that chaos breeds desire for structure and simplicity. If we can continue to deliver as designers, an experience that puts the user at ease and gives them a sense of peace, then I think we’re on the right track. It’s worth mentioning as well, that chaos is not the presence of more stuff, it’s just the stuff with an utter lack of organization. The perception of simplicity is not simply achieved by reducing, it’s achieved through thoughtful and meaningful organization and discernment.

If you’d like to dive deeper with the complex subject of simplicity, I highly recommend John Maeda’s “The Laws of Simplicity”. It’s a small book, but dense and extremely applicable for any designer.

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