[ A Series of Lectures in Design Theory ]

[ Schedule ] [ Concept of the Lecture Series ] [ slovensko ]

PER MOLLERUP | 9. 6. 2008

SIMPLY BECAUSE

As the world becomes increasingly complicated, simplicity becomes a quality increasingly in demand. We all seek simplicity in small or large measure. We strive to create simplicity at work and in our private lives. For short or long periods of our lives we may opt for ‘the simple life’ as relief from a complicated everyday experience.

Simplicity and its opposites, complexity and complicatedness, are qualities found everywhere: in nature and in the manmade world. Scientists look for the simple beauty behind the complex surface. Inventors, engineers, and designers work hard to simplify processes and products. We all seek simple explanations, patterns that let us understand the world, natural or manmade. We like to think that behind every complexity there is simplicity waiting to be discovered. But behind that simplicity, another complexity may reside.

Design is a spectator sport, but there is more than meets the eye. Simplicity in design concerns aesthetics, functionality, and ethics as experienced by visual appreciation, by use, and by contemplation. Simply because describes them all.

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Per Mollerup is the author of numerous books, including Marks of Excellence: The History and Taxonomy of Trademarks (London: Phaidon, 1997), Collapsibles: A Design Album of Space Saving Objects (London: Thames & Hudson, 2001), and Wayshowing: A Guide to Environmental Signage, Principles and Practices (Baden, Switzerland: Lars Müller Publishers, 2005). He runs his own graphic design studio in Copenhagen, Mollerup Designlab A/S, which deals primarily with branding and information design.

[ Mollerup Designlab A/S ]
[ European Design Awards ]

[ Schedule ]