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Comment by psweber | Hacker News Reader

"The best design is invisible" = false. "Good design is as little design as possible" = true. Pretty different concepts.

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The second is also false if I understand you correctly. In some cases a busy, non-minimalistic design can be appropriate, e.g. casinos, games, clothes, cars, etc. As little design as possible implies no decorations and decorations certainly have their place in design.

"As little design as possible" does not equate with minimalism. Sometimes business and flourishes are necessary.

So what exactly does that mean?

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.

What if you're being paid as a designer to be flashy/sexy or for the product to be a display of conspicuous consumption?

Trying to define good design is like trying to define good literature. Are you trying to convince the user, force the user, agitate the user, guilt trip the user, motivate the user, educate/train the user, de-educate/un-train the user, empower the user, de-empower the user, force the user to conform, force the user to rebel... its all going to be different both for lit and for design work.

I don't think any one knows. I think that those who think they know will sooner or later be told they are wrong by some one else who thinks they know.

All I know is that I tend to do what ever works best for a given situation.... I think.

Remove the non-essential. Figuring out what is essential can be difficult, so prototyping, testing and iterating are crucial.

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