Less but better: A Manifesto on Essentialist Design
How Thoughtful Restraint Facilitates Meaning and Value
Products should do a few things very well, instead of many things just adequately. Making a design easy for people to understand and interact with. It’s not about minimalism, but about removing distractions and emphasizing what’s essential. In this sense you can call me an ‘essentialist’, not a minimalist.
I crafted the manifesto on essentialist design as a navigational tool that too often loses its way. With a plethora of new tools and technologies always making themselves available, it’s easy for the focus to shift from creating meaningful interactions to simply accumulating features or chasing trends. This manifesto is an articulation of deeply held beliefs that I’ve nurtured throughout my career: that the essence of design lies in its ability to enrich human lives by doing a few things exceptionally well. It serves as a lens to refocus our collective vision on what truly counts, urging us to consider not just what can be added, but what should be removed to let the essence shine through.
The manifesto is also a call to action and an invitation to dialogue. It’s an urging for designers to assume the role of curators of experience, to wield our skills and tools with purpose and restraint. In formalizing these principles, my aim is to ignite discussions within the design community and to inspire a new wave of designers. This isn’t just about codifying my personal philosophy; it’s about fostering a shared commitment to a design ethos that values function, purpose, and human connection above all else.
A Preamble to Purpose: Setting the Foundation
Design isn’t a mere arrangement of pixels or a casual layering of elements. It’s the curation of meaningful experiences, a language communicated through visual cues and interactions. At the heart of this language is a guiding philosophy we call “Essentialism.”
Principle One: Mastery Over Multiplicity
Products should focus on doing a few things exceptionally well rather than many things just adequately. In a world saturated with features, bells, and whistles, our role as designers is to cut through the noise and magnify the essential. Each decision we make should facilitate the core functionality, streamlining the interface to create a focused, rewarding experience for people.
Principle Two: Essentialism is Not Minimalism
Though they may seem similar at a glance, essentialism and minimalism diverge at their core. Minimalism often seeks to remove for the sake of aesthetic simplicity, while essentialism removes to highlight purpose and function. This is not a doctrine of “less is more” but rather “less but better.”
Principle Three: The Skeuomorph’s Requirement in Adopting Essentialist Design Philosophy
Skeuomorphic design, when guided by essentialism, becomes a functional narrative rather than a decorative one. It utilizes real-world metaphors not as aesthetic ornaments but as waypoints that guide interaction. These metaphors are carefully selected for their ability to contribute to a seamless and familiar flow of engagement.
Principle Four: The Designer as Curator
The essence of essentialism compels the designer to adopt the role of a curator or editor. The designer sifts through an array of options, distilling them down to what genuinely matters. This aligns with a world where design is the invisible facilitator of people’s goals, existing not for its own sake but to enhance the overall experience.
Principle Five: The Discipline of Subtraction
Essentialism imposes a discipline of thoughtful restraint. It involves not just the acts of addition, but more importantly, acts of subtraction. What you choose to eliminate often speaks louder than what you choose to include. This careful process of reduction allows the essence of the product or service to come forth and shine.
Conclusion: The Transcendence of Style
Essentialism is not a style but a governing philosophy that transcends aesthetic choices. It serves as the backbone upon which meaningful, effective experiences are built. By adhering to the principles of essentialism, we elevate design from a mere visual layer to an integral part of the overall experience, making each element feel both necessary and natural.
In embracing essentialism, we commit to a design practice rooted in purpose, meaningfulness, and clarity. We commit to creating interfaces and products that resonate at a deeper level, serving people not just visually but functionally and emotionally. This is the call of essentialist design, and it beckons to all who strive to make design an expression not just of form, but of highest function.
