Simplify!

One of the rules of design that Paul Rand believed and followed was “Simplicity”. For him simplicity is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations.

Good designer believes that eliminating stuffs that doesn’t make sense would help the audiences focus on The One idea. Though this belief is not widely practiced, the consequence of ignoring trade-offs are inescapable.

For most of the clients, leaving Blank Spaces in a design, be it a print or a digital media, is more like a “waste”. Few open-minded clients may understand the value of simplicity, and thus the importance of Blank spaces; but for others, as Designers, we will have to choose either to serve the client, or the purpose of design. Because, while creating/designing, eliminating things that doesn’t matter is one key aspect that serves the purpose.

Considering this, it makes sense that why Paul Rand refuse to give options for his clients. He opted to focus only on One Solution rather than providing options that ‘may’ work or preferred.