Restraint
Without restraint, many designs turn into amazing works of art to be puzzled over.
Design can sometimes be confused with art, but design’s need for restraint is what separates them. With art, there is no limits, no problem to solve, art is simply art. An expression of an idea simply because you can.
However, when you are designing something, it has a purpose, a function, a reason, and so it needs to be approached with that in mind. Something that is designed beautifully, but fails to serve its intended purpose is an example of a lack of restraint. It might be pretty to look at, but it doesn’t do anything.
With a typical presentation, no restraint manifests in unattractive slides that boggle the mind. Nobodies fault, mostly the person putting them together had no idea about restraint.
Restraint is not be confused with minimalism or simplicity, these are often words that you will hear when it comes to good design. Restraint is fulfilling a purpose in the most effective way possible. If that purpose is realised with complexity and many elements, then it’s still good design.
Art or communication?
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An example of an arty slide I have encountered.
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Another example of an art slide.
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Art
🚀 Where to Start
Designing slides (or anything else) with restraint means that you keep your focus on what it is you want to achieve, rather than adding loads of distractions, unintentionally.