Be a Grim Reaper

When was the last time you cut something out from your design?

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

– Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I love this quote. It’s partially on the money. Yes, we cut, a lot. But as designers, we don’t set out to reach perfection in our interfaces because it’s non-attainable. If it were, we’d be unemployed swiftly.

Instead, we set out with the goal of making our designs better communicate their messages with every push of a pixel. In doing so, we’re on the hunt for obstructions, clashes, and noise. In doing so, we become Grim Reapers.

We glide through our designs and relentlessly cut down, destroy, and delete the unnecessary. Then we do it again and again. To be honest, it’s pretty fun.

So I’ll modify the quote a bit.

Good design is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

Try it.