Everywhere we turn there are always plenty of options to choose from and yet while bartering with all this information it’s always comforting to know there are still very creative people who appreciate simplicity. Simplicity in communication, simplicity in graphic design, and simplicity in websites, not to say your projects should be boring and simple, that is never the case. But you must constantly be aware that whatever you’re designing unless it’s a personal painting or lyrics about your own personal struggles, your content is mainly for your audience to people who will be experiencing the product you have made.
Having something feel easy to use is very important for the user not to be overwhelmed with the content or form of your graphic design solutions. When you take the time to actually make something easy to use people will respond better simply because they see your design as something that they can manage with little to no frustration. And when they feel like it will be easier to use just based on perception then they are more likely to follow through on your planned desired outcome. By using a process called Chunking you can turn a very complicated process into something that’s quite simple by breaking the whole graphic design process into manageable parts, kind of like taking slices out of a while cake to better share with friends.
Constantly ask how your graphic design projects can be made simpler to relate to the ease of use by the user of your website. Remember that you are not the user of you site it’s the people who you are targeting that will be the primary users. Constantly ask yourself what can I do to make this easier to use?
- Is there anything I can take away that might not be benefiting the people who will be experiencing this?
- Do the elements or content directly support the branding strategies?
- Will your visitors know that they are at the correct site?
When you go the route of simplicity you will find that the saying “less is more” holds true in most cases.
“Out of clutter, find simplicity.”
― Albert Einstein
More time can be given to focus on the needs of the project and meeting its goals.
Simpler pages also reduce load times because the code is a lot shorter. Having plenty of white-space is easier to code and having tons of scattered links and content for the user to have to dive through to find what they’re looking for. This includes quicker render times in their browser.
Last but not least, especially when it comes to updating your site, it will be easier for you to make changes and less content on the page and with more arbitrary elements.
As you become more efficient designer you will learn how to work smarter while still working hard. You will find yourself discovering shortcuts and doing fewer steps to achieve the same desired outcome, and spending more time thinking about solutions on how to achieve this outcome rather than focus on the problem itself.
image provided by Nooks Photo Stream