When getting to know other design professionals, I often like to ask a version of "So, what do you do?" Since we all know — in the broad sense — what each other does, I tend to skew the question more toward the "how". "Tell me about your design style," is an invitation to discuss one's work, creative philosophy and tastes. Overwhelmingly, I hear people use the terms "simple" and "clean" to describe their ideal layouts.

Simple, clean designs are often the most clear way to communicate a given idea. A place for everything, everything in its place, with an effective rhythm and hierarchy to the elements on the page can really make a message sing. On its own, this fact is enough to make any communicator set "Simple" as their goal. Another reason is that, in our modern marketplace, with its cacophony of garish printed and electronic messages vying with our own thoughts for our valuable attention, a well-organized, well-planned, simple page becomes a visual oasis of sorts, where the mind can rest for a moment and focus on one thing (your message) at a time.

Many who see the most simple and effective layouts share a common misconception — that simple equals easy. This is understandable, since the layout makes so much sense, the elements give each other room, the copy is succinct and brief, and even though it's clever, there's no puzzle for the reader to solve to get the point. "Easy To Look At," however, is seldom easy to achieve. Rather than building a design from a blank page to a simple layout, it is more often a process of taking numerous disparate elements and boiling them down to their essence — taking away everything that isn't essential to the message, piece by piece, until what is left is lean, clear, and direct. It takes a lot of practice and study to get that process right, which is one of the reasons for the visual discord we see so often.

When making this point, I often refer design students to the work of Al Hirschfeld, the longtime artist for the New York Times' coverage of the theatre. While not a designer per se, there's a lot to learn from Al in terms of communicating visually. Known for his simple, fluid caricatures, Hirschfeld became an absolute master of simplicity. Starting out with very detailed sketches, he would remove all extraneous lines until he had the simplest of drawings, where with one or two expressive marks he captured his subject's essence and personality.

When asked if he did his simpler drawings when he had little time to meet a deadline, Hirschfeld famously replied, “When I don’t have the time, I make a fussy, complicated drawing. When I have the time, I make a simple one.”

Ultimately, a simple, clean design takes time, effort, and skill. But the result will stand out and communicate brilliantly, even if it looks easy.