A Most Important “Take Away”

A Most Important “Take Away”

“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

I keep this quote from “The Little Prince” author Antoine de Saint-Exupery sticky-noted to the edge of my computer screen where I can read it every day. It neatly sums up how we feel about the power and importance of clarity by design; it’s a philosophy we apply to everything we do and every piece of work we deliver.

Consciously and unconsciously, we all process countless images and messages as we move through life every day. Actually, they don’t so much get processed as they bounce off of us. From billboards to road signs to TV and radio ads to the barrage of social chatter, they’re vying for our attention at every turn. It’s crowded out there.

Which makes Saint-Exupery’s message all the more relevant. For companies large and small, it pays to periodically take a good look at your brand. Start by objectively examining your logo, and work your way all the way back through the steps of your particular process. What’s there that doesn’t need to be? Does your logo cleanly express who you are? Is your brand statement boiled down to its essence? Is the customer experience as simplified and streamlined as it could be?

Chances are, after a close look, you’ll lose some of that dead weight, clear a little space, and this less-is-more philosophy will produce measurable results and better, happier clients.