Making something simple can be a very tricky thing to do. Historically, Apple has been fantastic at this, with hugely complex products that have a very simple and intuitive UI. As I shared a few years ago, many things start out simple, gradually become more complex, and then need to put in some work to become simple again.

The example of how Microsoft might have packaged the iPod is a perfect example of that. Apple is willing to put in the work to make a design simple, whereas Microsoft tends to just put everything on the box.

In her book “The Creativity Leap“, author Natalie Nixon shares a quote from jazz bassist Charles Mingus that sums it up perfectly:

Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.

Most of us are more creative than we give ourselves credit for, and the ability to take a complex product or idea and make it simple to understand is a talent that will never go out of style.

I’ve mentioned a few times on here that the more you polish a piece of writing or a speech, the shorter it will generally become. As you refine your points, you can find easier ways to get things across and allow people to understand your point with few words. These great quotes from Blaise Pascal and Woodrow Wilson help to emphasize that point.

However, it’s not just words that can use refinement. Generally speaking, great design has fewer elements than poor design does. This is seen a bit in the cycle of simple, or in the humorous example of how Microsoft perhaps would have designed the original iPod packaging.

Minh D. Tran said it perfectly, using very few words to get their idea across:

“Great design is eliminating all unnecessary details.”

I’ve said before that every web page should have a goal, and that applies to print design, billboards, menus, or anything else you might put together. Determine the goal, and then work to eliminate as many distractions as possible.

Branding has been a hot word in marketing for many years, and for good reason — a strong brand can help make sales that a weaker brand wouldn’t be able to make.

What is your brand, though? While building a solid visual identity and messaging framework is vitally important to sharing who you are, at the end of the day your brand is simply your reputation. How people talk about your company when you’re not around is what matters most, and your work needs to happen before then.

In many ways, it’s pretty basic stuff — deliver a quality product at a reasonable price, on time, and with great support after the sale. It’s simple to understand, but not always easy to do.

Google

Somewhat related are your Google search results. When people search for you, the items that come up matter – a lot. The more you can control them, the better you’ll appear. You can’t directly control reviews and conversations, but you can do a lot of work to help ensure that those show positive sentiment toward your company.

As Josh Kaufman has said:

When business professionals say they want to “enhance their brand” or “build brand equity,” they almost always mean “improve their reputation.”

Word hard to treat people right and keep a strong reputation, and your brand will make people feel the way you always hoped it would.

“I’ll know it when I see it” is such a challenging phrase. On the one hand, it doesn’t offer any guidance toward the desired direction. On the other hand, that’s sometimes all anyone is able to provide.

I think there are two problems behind this statement

The goal isn’t clear. If there is a clear goal, then the direction is easier to uncover.

It lets you off the hook. If you’re clear about what you’re looking for, and then it doesn’t work out, you could get blamed. By giving the vague “I’ll know it when I see it”, you can always just say “we never found the right solution”.

Anything you create, whether it’s a page on a website, a printed flyer, or a social media post, should have a goal behind it. Some have little goals, some have big goals, but every bit of marketing should be working toward your main objectives. Once you sort that out, “I’ll know it when I see it” starts to fade away.

I’ve been listening to a lot of the “How to Take Over the World” podcast lately, and in a series he did about Steve Jobs, one line of his really stood out: Design is more than veneer.

People often think of design as “making things pretty”, and while that may be a piece of it, that’s not the purpose of design. I mentioned a few months ago that the best design is invisible, meaning great design helps users accomplish a goal.

As I said in that post, this doesn’t mean that design shouldn’t be beautiful, but rather than the “beautiful” aspect of design should generally be secondary to the full purpose of what you’re working on. Always be thinking of your users and how best to help them accomplish a goal, and then put some veneer on top of it once the user experience has been perfected.