“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French novelist

When we first came across this quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, we were blown away by how succinctly it conveyed the essence of what we constantly strive to achieve in our work at Y Studios.

As industrial designers and researchers working in Silicon Valley, we are in a unique position to learn about upcoming technology, gain insights on emerging cultural and consumer behaviors, as well as work with the best minds in start-ups and corporate innovation teams.

It is a great honor and privilege to be at the forefront of change and be involved in providing creative support for nascent businesses and opportunities.

Amidst the excitement is the awesome challenge to create design solutions that simplify complexity, so that it will be easy to understand, intuitive to use and a pleasure to experience.

In navigating through this complex world of new realities like AI, VR, AR and HRI, industrial designers are confronted with a dire need to make better sense of the elevated convolution of how businesses, technologies and consumers intersect and interact now and into the future.

These are exciting times to be an industrial designer. Never before has the confluence of the digital and physical space co-exist so seamlessly before. The challenge is for Industrial Design (ID) to be the tangible experience receptacle in showcasing intangible technologies like AI, VR, AR etc. effectively.

We believe that ID can be the real driving force in creating sophisticated but simple, user-friendly product experiences for the end user. As technology continues to become more invisible and complex to understand, ID has the opportunity – and perhaps the obligation – to innovate on more intuitive, prudent and mindful design that grounds technology to make it more relevant and sustainable.

So, how do we "make things simple, but not simpler", as Albert Einstein once opined?

Now, isn’t that the million-dollar question?

In our own way, we want to design products and experiences that fit better into people’s lives in ways that are Useful, Beautiful and Meaningful. There should be a sense of purpose, a reason that it exists.

VAVA Spotlight, Sonos Wireless Music System, Ground Control Cyclops Batch Coffee Brewer, designed by Y Studios

Intuition. Clarity. Balance. Purity. Androgyny.

These are the important elements in our pursuit of simplicity in design.

As most designers know, it is not easy to design simple. But it is a worthwhile challenge.

Here are some notable quotes on simplicity that we believe in:

“An interesting plainness is the most difficult and precious thing to achieve.” – Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, German-American architect

“The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity.” – Douglas Horton, American clergyman

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” – Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist

“In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet

“Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci, Italian Renaissance artist and inventor

“Simplicity in the sense of refinement – making things clearer, more pure, more legible and more accessible.” – Konstantin Grcic, German industrial designer

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” – Charles Mingus, African-American jazz musician

“Design is so simple, that’s why it is so complicated.” – Paul Rand, American art director and graphic designer

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