Darrel Girardier

Details

I love design that has detail, but there comes a point when you are adding details for the sake of the details themselves.  Unless those details add to the functionality of the design, then they need to go.  I see too many designers these days add details, because they have either lost a vision for how the design should function or they don’t know when to quit and move on.

If you find yourself adding detail and your are not sure why, step away.  Walk away from the design and give it room to breathe.  You will not create a better design by adding details to a design problem that does not call for those details as a solution.

Yes, some of the greatest designs in the world have details.  However, those details usually contain a functionality that delights and even surprises the user.  Achieving that is not done by whimsically adding details, but rather through thoughtful consideration.  That kind of thinking is rare.  Instead of thoughtful consideration, we are becoming inundated with mediocre design that is being passed off as creative work and then sent around the web thanks websites like Pinterest and Tumblr.

Lay off the details.  Chances are you don’t need them.