Is Less Really More?

 Images from yelp.com

One of the greatest architects Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, is most notably known to adopt the phrase “less is more” which by simplifying objects, the more a person can get out of it. This saying can be connected to one of my trips this past weekend.

While walking through San Mateo which is located in the peninsula of the San Francisco Bay this past weekend, my girlfriend (Mary) and I were out on a journey to find something to eat after watching a movie. Both of us had no idea what we were craving so we were open to any ideas on what to eat. There were clusters of signs advertising for their respective businesses whether it was a pho restaurant, or Italian restaurant, each had their own way of getting a person’s attention to eat there. Yet, one place stood out from the rest. Although, small compared to a lot of the restaurants around the area, the way the façade was designed was very simple, yet attractive. There were no large signs advertising to eat there just simple text entitled “The Shabu Way” using two colors of black and red to distinguish itself. Design wise using red is a great way to grab attention instantly because the color red is warm which tends to jump at you, while cool colors such as blue normally recede. Also a connection can be made with the Japanese food Shabu Shabu, which is thinly sliced kobe beef, cooked in a type of broth. Kobe Beef which is normally pinkish-red in color can be associated with the theme color of the restaurant giving that idea that they serve kobe beef. From all these simple small design aspect, to me gave me a lot of information of the place.

Image from yelp.com


So is less really more? I would strongly think so. Look at the most successful companies and how they advertise themselves such as Apple, Nike, etc. They use simple designs to get through the viewer eliminating the confusion about where to look or misinterpret the priority of each element.