Is less more in terms of graphic design?

Is less more in terms of graphic design? Yes, less is more. As a designer if you are able to convey your point/purpose of your design within a moments glance, you don’t need to add unnecessary elements. Once a design has been “overworked” it loses all its good design potential. To a viewer design that is less complicated and to the point is much more visually pleasing.

A believer in the theory that less is more is Frank Lloyd Wright, he saw space as the essence of design. Although Wright was more of an architect he was influenced by design through his structures. Wright's view of architecture was beautifully simple. His floor plans were very open, airy and usually flowed into one another. His houses seemed to be reaching out toward some real or imagined prairie horizon. Some of his urban structures were more structured without windows but where inlaid with skylights.

As a graphic designer I consider myself to be classified as a minimalist. I feel that less is more in all aspects of design. In conjunction with gestalt principals a designer is able to create an overall unified whole within their design. Gestalt principles include similarity, proximity, continuation, closure, and figure/ground. By using the principles of gestalt, designers are able to eliminate clutter. How all of these elements work together for an end result create perfect design. Through using all of these gestalt principles effectively you will be able to create less overworked design and more concise design.

Good design needs to be able to communicate to the viewer as clearly as possible. People enjoy design that conveys a seemingly instantaneous result. Take for instance the Macintosh logo below. If any elements were added to this design it would lose all of its good design potential. The element that the bite of the apple is the repeated shape in the leaf is a great usage of the principles of gestalt.