To clients and students alike, I always preach “less is more” on the Web. It applies to web design, web copywriting and even programming.
So I was fascinated to find an applicable quote from French aviator and writer Antoine de Saint Exupery. While reflecting on the development of airplanes some decades ago, he wrote:
“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
So true. It reminds me of another relevant quote from Thomas Jefferson: “Had I but more time, I would have written less.” Actually, Mark Twain wrote something similar: “If I had more time I would have written less.”
The common premise is web designers and web copywriters must take extra time and effort to scrap any useless elements, from extra colours to extra syllables.
Good web content isn’t about flashy graphics and fancy words. It’s about communicating key messages and getting tasks completed.
Cool how history repeats itself and the same things apply in different areas. Then again, design is design, whatever you’re creating.