I finished reading Taku Satoh’s book “Just Enough Design”. It’s a philosophical exploration of design’s deepest nature—a meditation on how we shape and are shaped by the things we create.
I really enjoy these types of books. Previously, I have read “White” by Kenya Hara and “Shikake: The Japanese Art of Shaping Behavior Through Design” from Naohiro Matsumura.
Just Enough Design and other books like it made me rethink my understanding of design and the value I bring as a designer.
I
“Try envisioning design as water. Water is indispensable to human life, connecting us to our environments in visible and invisible ways. It can cause disasters like tsunamis (and so can design when it is uncalled for or when it tries to add nonexistent value), but it can also materialize as a rainbow, radiant in the light of the sun.”
Good design goes unnoticed. Like a perfectly functioning refrigerator. Like water flowing through pipes. Silent. Efficient. Essential.
Design can create rainbows. But design can also trigger tsunamis. The difference lies in understanding, in intention, in just enough.
II
“The essence of design is to thoroughly understand a project and communicate it as straightforwardly as possible. That’s what design is.”
The core of design is not decoration. It’s comprehension.
Design demands we thoroughly understand the essence of a project and communicate it with radical simplicity. Whether the outcome of the design work is beautiful, compelling or spare, the design should reveal the true nature of the project/product.
III
“Maintaining the flexibility to respond to every project with a fresh strategy requires a supple thought process, rather than a single signature style.”
Many designers chase a personal style. A visual fingerprint. This is a mistake.
True design requires suppleness. Every project requires its own strategy, its own approach. Rigidity kills creativity. Flexibility gives life. A designer must be like water — adaptable to respond to the specific contours of each challenge.
Design is not about making things pretty. It’s about creating meaningful connections between people and objects. Between systems and users. Between complexity and understanding.
Design is water. Not the metaphorical water you might expect, but design as a fundamental element that flows through the human experience, invisible yet essential.