The Laws of Simplicity: Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life.

John Maeda.

ISBN 10: 0262134721 / ISBN 13: 9780262134729

Published by Massachusetts Institute of Technology: M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, MA, 2006

About this Item

Very Near Fine in Very Near Fine DJ: Shows just a hint a dampstain (doesn't penetrate into the text pages or cause any perceptible marring of the text pages except the stain); else flawless; the binding is square and secure; the text is clean. Free of any creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of any underlining, hi-lighting or marginalia or marks in the text. Free of ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, or labels. A handsome very nearly-new copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing a minor, unobtrusive flaw only. Bright and clean. Corneers sharp. Virtually 'As New'. The DJ shows two small marks at the middle of the front panel; else flawless; the price has not been clipped; mylar-protected. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. (8.25 x 5.75 x 0.7 inches). 101 pages. Bibliography. Index. Final Note. Language:English. Weight: 11.4 ounces. First Edition (2006); Fourth Printing. Hardback with DJ.

Seller Inventory # 55208

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Laws of Simplicity: Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life.
• Publisher: Massachusetts Institute of Technology: M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, MA
• Publication Date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262134721
• ISBN 13: 9780262134729
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition (2006); Fourth Printing.
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Seller catalogs:
  • Psychology

About this title

Synopsis

Ten laws of simplicity for business, technology, and design that teach us how to need less but get more.

Finally, we are learning that simplicity equals sanity. We're rebelling against technology that's too complicated, DVD players with too many menus, and software accompanied by 75-megabyte "read me" manuals. The iPod's clean gadgetry has made simplicity hip. But sometimes we find ourselves caught up in the simplicity paradox: we want something that's simple and easy to use, but also does all the complex things we might ever want it to do. In The Laws of Simplicity, John Maeda offers ten laws for balancing simplicity and complexity in business, technology, and design―guidelines for needing less and actually getting more.

Maeda―a professor in MIT's Media Lab and a world-renowned graphic designer―explores the question of how we can redefine the notion of "improved" so that it doesn't always mean something more, something added on.

Maeda's first law of simplicity is "Reduce." It's not necessarily beneficial to add technology features just because we can. And the features that we do have must be organized (Law 2) in a sensible hierarchy so users aren't distracted by features and functions they don't need. But simplicity is not less just for the sake of less. Skip ahead to Law 9: "Failure: Accept the fact that some things can never be made simple." Maeda's concise guide to simplicity in the digital age shows us how this idea can be a cornerstone of organizations and their products―how it can drive both business and technology. We can learn to simplify without sacrificing comfort and meaning, and we can achieve the balance described in Law 10. This law, which Maeda calls "The One," tells us: "Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful."

About the Author

An internationally recognized leader at the intersection of design and technology, John Maeda is Design Partner at the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in Silicon Valley. He served until 2014 as the 16th President of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and before that was Associate Director of the MIT Media Lab. He is a designer, technologist, and catalyst behind the national movement to transform STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) to STEAM with the addition of the arts. He is the author of Design by Numbers (1999), The Laws of Simplicity (2006) and Redesigning Leadership (2011), all published by The MIT Press.