The Art of Simplicity

Brands like Apple, Amazon, and Google are among the strongest of the decade, creating billions in brand value. Much of their success can be tied directly to a revolutionary, ground-breaking marketing tactic. Simplicity: Making life easier for consumers. By adhering to rules of simplicity to define their brand experience, companies are able to optimize what drives customer satisfaction, commitment, and overall connection to their brand.

“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.”- John Maeda

Despite the belief that one’s brand is the most important exchange in a consumers day, it is typically just a single moment in their demanding day. A smart brand knows where their product or service fits within their consumer’s life, and aides in making not just the experience easier, but the user’s overall life easier.

Amazon’s one-click ordering option on their website is a prime example of simplicity at work. A website’s goal is usually to keep a viewer on your website for as long as possible, increasing interaction and engagement. Amazon took a counter approach by decreasing the amount of time needed to purchase an item, making the experience painless and timely as possible, helping to build to their consistently growing customer satisfaction.

Obtaining simplicity does not mean skipping steps or cutting developmental corners. Bringing absolute clarity to your overall purpose in a seamless fashion, without any exasperating speed-bumps, should be the preferred path.

Apple is a model of clarity and simplified interaction, releasing products that are easy to use right out of the box and providing little to no frustration with inter-product connectivity. While some consumers prefer a more complex product interaction, by and large, people enjoy an experience that makes them feel like pros during the first undertaking.

The urge to add imaginative customizations to your product or services is a strong one, however, fluff is the antithesis to simplicity. Take the Google Search Bar for instance: One of the most utilized web features of all time and for sound reasons. Despite its overall proficiency in honing a user’s search, its’ simple nature radiates. White background, classic Google text coloring, centered in the page, gives the feature an easy and luxurious feel. However, simplicity is not void of variation. Google integrates festive and seasonal artworks to the logo in a freshly clever fashion.

Humans are naturally drawn towards simplicity, just as we are drawn towards comfort and having an understanding of our surroundings. In all the hustle and bustle, a relief follows as one encounters simplicity and effortlessness. Be a brand that relieves; It’s as simple as you want to make it.