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I wrote The Laws of Simplicity in late 2005 to early 2006 to get my thoughts down about simplicity. In the course of 100-pages, I outline the Ten Laws as used on this website. |
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37 Responses to “The Laws of Simplicity”
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NOTE: I reserve the right to edit or delete inappropriate comments. But I'm also a believer in free speech. Keep it simple.
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I pre-ordered this book in early June as I with passion follow John’s theories around simplicity. It is a subject that I think hasn’t always been taken very seriously and it is often dismissed or trivialized in discussions. Finally it is being investigated with the credit that it deserves. Thanks!
[…] by John Maeda […]
Thanks for this book. I just bought it today at the MIT bookstore and started reading it about an hour ago on the bus. It’s great to see someone translating the value of simplicity into words that can help me understand and promote simplicity as a valuable approach. I often find myself struggling to simplify my products (web sites for the most part) and this book is already shedding some light as to how to approach simplification.
[…] Das buch “Laws of simplicity” von John Maeda ist überraschend frisch und angenehm. Eine gute zusammenfassung. Allerdings sind die erkenntnisse auch ohne buch sehr gut online zugänglich. [reisen, design, entdecken, recherche, studium] […]
I’m sorry I missed you in Second Life–this book looks so elegant. I can’t help but smile and muse what would happen if Philip Glass read it, or if some electronic musicians generated compositions based on the laws. I’m sure there’s some precedent, but you have a marvellous style all your own, Dr. Maeda!
I greatly admire Philip Glass! There’s so many people that have come before us. Whenever I walk into a library of old works you can’t help but realize that they were all made by people who themselves thought based upon the other people they discovered in books or through conversation.
Like Nietzsche, “Young people love what is interesting and odd, no matter how true or false it is. More mature minds love what is interesting and odd about truth. Fully mature intellects, finally, love truth, even when it appears plain and simple, boring to the ordinary person; for they have noticed that truth tends to reveal its highest wisdom in the guise of simplicity.” The pros and cons of simplicity appear timeless.
thanks so much for this book. another winner!
peace.
bv.
Love the book. I have been endlessly wondering about the print specs for your books cover… can you please provide the production specs? would be great!!!
Thank you BV. And regarding the book cover specs, it is CMYK and double hit white on mirrored paper with UV spot varnish.
[…] The Laws of Simplicity […]
This is one of the best books that I have read in many years. The way Dr. Maeda links all aspects of life, business, and innovation together is a breath of fresh air. I have purchased ten additional copies for my friends and collegues to read, as well. Thank-you!
Thanks Craig, I truly appreciate the words of encouragement.
[…] This site is devoted to my ongoing thought processes regarding the topic of simplicity. I wrote and designed a book entitled The Laws of Simplicity to let the ideas take root. Here online, I continue to develop the thoughts that surround the paradoxically complex topic of simplicity. […]
The Laws of Simplicity (단순함의 법칙)…
“단순함은 명백한 것을 제거하고 의미 있는 것만을 더하는 것이다.”존마에다| 윤송이 역| 럭스미디어| 2007.01.02 | 162p | ISBN : 8989822696MIT Media Lab의 저명한 존 마에다 교수의 책으로 SKT 윤송이 상…
[…] Many offers tutorial on how to balance complexity with simplicity, John Maeda, Nick, Luke, and others […]
k.i.s.s.
translation for readers (k.i.s.s. = keep it simple stupid) … maybe a more friendly one is (k.i.s.s. = keep it simple sweetie)
[…] […]
[…] Esta premisas son totalmente lógicas y llenas de sentido común. Estamos rodeados de leyes que no dicen mucho (ver The Laws of Simplicity de John Maeda), y también en abundancia de frases, algunas con ribetes filosóficos como: "Simplicity is know when less is too little and more is too much." el mismo John Maeda de las leyes… […]
Hi, John.
I featured your book in my blog this week.
Regards,
Stan
Thanks Stan, John
[…] 41. The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda ISBN: 978-0262134729 […]
[…] 41. The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda ISBN: 978-0262134729 […]
Ich bedanke mich sehr für dieses grossartige Buch. Und ich möchte Ihnen im Gegenzug ein dazu passendes, aber doch ganz anderes empfehlen.
Junichiro Tanizaki “Lob des Schattens”
http://www.amazon.com/Praise-Shadows-Junichiro-Tanizaki/dp/0099283573/ref=pd_bbs_6/103-2160797-7311006?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191753153&sr=8-6
Yes it’s a great book. I certainly recommend Tanizaki’s work. Thanks, John
[…] And according to John Maeda, the author of The Laws of Simplicity, “In Simplicity we trust.” […]
Randomly picked this book at the local library yesterday. Very good book. Helps see several concepts I use without much thought in a new light. Thanks for writing this book and more importantly keeping it small and simple
Anil
[…] In his book “10 Laws of Simplicity” John Medea offers guidelines to balance simplicity and complexity. You can find a very short (and incomplete…) outline of his 10 laws on his website.Bookmark/Search this post with: Delicious […]
[…] as most of you know, i am always looking & learning. here are a few new books i’ve added to the library. i’ve almost finished ‘the laws of simplicity’ by john maeda and will be moving on to the other two. when i was buying ‘laws’ i just saw ‘designing design‘ by kanya harra and can’t wait to get into that one. besides the brilliantly simple design of the book, it was the chapter on ‘white’ as a design concept pulled me in to explore the rest of the book. ‘citizen marketers’ by mcconnell & huba is a book from a few years ago and i love the focus on the power of people and their ability to influence companies. power of the people - celebrate! […]
[…] According to the author of ‘The laws of Simplicity‘, John Maeda , the easiest way to simplify a system is to remove functionality. Now I ask - how can a good bag design not have function at it’s core??? He explains that one must find a balance between complexity and simplicity. In the context of bag designing, the bag must have compartments that make storage easy and finding things even easier, must have a means to hold the bag, must be able to be closed…..and then on the other hand all you want is for it to hold things and be portable. I guess in theory, the bag should have as many pockets and compartments as the design allows rather than trying to force them. […]
[…] The Laws of Simplicity av John Maeda. […]
[…] You’re so busy, you don’t have time to read his new book, “The Laws of Simplicity”? Aw. That’s so sad! Cheer up, I have good news for you. You can listen to him on Real Player or your ipod on NPR’s ON POINT to talk about his new book […]
[…] I purchased John Maeda’s book “Laws of Simplicity” today, and I can’t wait for it to arrive in the mail! I will start living a more simple life starting with my room. I’ve gotten rid of most of my knick knacks, but I need to step up to the next level. And that’s where MUJI comes in. Day by day, I will be organizing my life to so that my tragedies won’t be as complex. […]
As I was reading your excellent book for the second time, I had some thoughts I would like to share.
My drive for buying your book was my profession (software developer), but I occasionally like to see thinks in a more abstract, general way. As I often find my self lost in too much detail, loosing the essence and real purpose.
Simplicity, I believe, is a contributing factor to happiness. I have heard the quote “in the old days we lived simpler and happier” many times in my life, although much less the last years. We are living in a very complex world and we have been struggling to simplify our lives as much as we can, but modern life came together with an explosion of complexity that humans never faced before in their lives. I am not against progress since it gave us so many good thinks, it is how we manage and integrate progress that I question.
Simplicity is a need derived from the fact that our mental capacity is not limitless.
Thank you for writing this book, a true inspiration for work and life.
LP
[…] Therein lies the complexity of simplicity—it’s difficult to achieve, and even more difficult to maintain as you move forward. So, I was pleased to find this post (and related book) called The Laws of Simplicity via David Allen on Twitter that breaks down the laws that make up a simple solution. John uses real business examples in his elaborations of the first half of the laws to distill the otherwise abstract statements that make up each law (looks like you need the book to learn about the latter half). […]
Hello John,
I have been enjoying your book (The Laws of Simplicity) and can hardly wait to share all the wonderful stuff with people I know. I just happened to land on the last page of your book where it says - You’re Still Here? I loved the anecdote. Is there a digital version of that page that I can share with a knowledge group?
Thanks.
Amitava
[…] From the site: “This site is devoted to my ongoing thought processes regarding the topic of simplicity. I wrote and designed a book entitled The Laws of Simplicity to let the ideas take root. Here online, I continue to develop the thoughts that surround the paradoxically complex topic of simplicity.” […]