The Laws of Simplicity

I think I can speak for most people when I say that part of me is relieved that the Christmas/Holiday season has come to and end. Shopping malls, gifts, money, traffic, parking, and family socials are just a few things that have turned our holiday season into anything but peaceful. The holiday season gives us ample time to reflect on how our lives, from our finances to our closets and sock drawers, have become increasingly more complex. Then something clicks in our brain and we tell ourselves that enough is enough. We begin to clean, edit, reduce. Better yet, we simplify.

For many of us, this realization occurs every year. Some tackle this issue with great success while others stumble a few months down the line. If you represent the latter, I recommend a book that may provide the strength to pull through. It’s called “The Laws of Simplicity” by John Maeda.


Maeda is a Japanese-American graphic designer, computer scientist and former MIT professor. He is currently the president of the Rhode Island School of Design. He’s managed to take the difficult subject of “simplicity” and make it digestible. He introduces a methodology based on 10 Laws for balancing simplicity with complexity in design, business and life. (He even suggests the most efficient strategy for reading the book.)


Maeda’s theory does not stop at his book. He’s created a website and blog where he’s constantly searching for new and thoughtful ways of supporting his pursuit of simplicity. Happy reading

“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful”
John Maeda

~tyukawa