Restraint... in Design

Restraint in Design. Designers often undervalue restraint. Restraint is establishing a solution in the simplest way possible. It adds meaning to each mark, making each element an integral part of your communication. This solution allows for simplicity, elegance, and clarity.

less is more.

Eliminate the Arbitrary.

WALL CLOCK by howard miller clock company, 1969â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1970

KITCHEN SCOOP by vollrath company, preâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;1956

EAMES MOLDED PLASTIC DOWEL LEG ARMCHAIR by charles & ray eames, 1950

FLATWARE by arne jacobsen, 1957

BLIP SPOON REST by paolo gerosa, 2010

CREATE A CLEAR HIERARCHY of INFORMATION. Consider size, weight, tracking, placement and leading of type.

EAMES WIRE CHAIR WITH VILCINI—DKR2 by charles & ray eames, 1950

HAYDN + HAUER POSTER by bohatsch visual communication

MINIMAL CUTLERY by david mellor, 2002

GLASSES by hans theo baumann, 1966

67 DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION, INC. by sametez blackstone association, 1982

use only what you need information / composition / typography / color / material.

MINIATURE CHAIR, TULIP by eero saarinen, 2006

ABC LOGO by paul rand, 1961

WESTINGHOUSE ANNUAL REPORT by paul rand, 1974

THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM PROMOTION by malcolm grear designers

CASSEROLE POT by bjorn dahistrom, 1996

communicate with economy.

SALT AND PEPPER SHAKERS by william lescaze, 1935

BIG DRAWINGS by mit design services, 1982

FUTURIST EVENING by two twelve associates, 1982

ITALICUS POULTRY SHEARS by antonia campi, 1960

GARBO WASTE BIN by karim rashid, 1990

chose your color palette purposely.

COMPACT SOFA by charles & ray eames, 1954

CONVEYING A MOOD by kelley mcintyre & kim bentley

O—SERIES SCISSORS by olaf backstrom, 1967

AIGA POSTER by paul rand, 1968

QUAKE MUGS by gustaf nordensklold, 2011

THINK

SUSTAINABLY

your

when SELECTING

MATERIALS

LOW LOUNGE CHAIR by jens risom, 1941

FJORD CUTLERY by jens h. quintgaard, 1953

WOOD CHAIR by marc newson, 1998

STRAWBOWLS by kristiina lassus, 2000

TEA KETTLE by harold l. van doren & gordon rideout, 1936

be

not

CREATIVE,

EXCESSIVE

DESIGN 63 by paul rand, 1963

TABLE LAMP by bauhaus metal workshop, 1928

COCKTAIL GOBLETS by desney, 1930

iPHONE 4S by steve jobs, 2011

SIDE CHAIR by peer bucking, 1928

USE ONLY THREE TYPEFACES

unless the context dictates

otherwise.

WINTER AID POSTER 1960

NEW YORK CITY BALLET IDENTITY by paula scher, 2008

DESIGN AND CHAOS by paul rand, 1987

WUJU TV47 SPANISH TELEVISION by the handler group, 1982

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook

Restraint... in Design

Published on Jan 2, 2012

Jill McKay

When brainstorming possible design manifesto topics, I kept coming back to the idea of restraint in design. So many of the objects that we encounter in our daily lives are over-designed and hard to navigate. I believe that in many cases, less is more, and thus that more restraint should be practiced in design. This would lead to establishing a solution in the simplest way possible, allowing for simplicity, elegance, and clarity. To communicate this message, I created a deck of inspirational cards, each complimenting one of eight restrained-design guidelines. The beautiful objects on the cards exemplify the referenced guideline and can help us begin to better appreciate the well-designed objects around us and to integrate these restrained practices into our daily lives. A book containing the manifesto was also created to compliment the cards.