MAY 2025

LESS IS HARD.

Reduction is an art – and always a balancing act. For those who wish to show less, they must decide even more precisely what to leave. "Good design is as little design as possible," said Dieter Rams – a sentence that sounds paradoxical, yet describes a clear stance. Not mere style. Not dogma. Rather, a call to focus – on the essential, the meaningful, the lasting.

But when does less become too little? In a society that is constantly sending, blinking, and chattering, reduction almost seems inevitable – a collective longing for clarity, overview, and silence. Yet, when design is reduced to a minimum, one embarks on a delicate tightrope walk – between elegance and emptiness, substance and pose. Less is not always better. Less is: hard.

This is shown by designs that, with the greatest effort, appear as though they have emerged entirely on their own. The iPod interface, which, with a single dial and a clear display, opens up a whole world of technology. Otl Aicher’s pictograms, universally understood, wordlessly precise. An editorial layout, generous, rhythmic, almost invisible – yet full of character.

But it’s not only in design that reduction becomes a challenge. In a system that is programmed for consumption and growth, the principle of "less" almost seems subversive. Those who choose not to show everything, not to want everything, not to need everything, stand against the fragile architecture of more and more. And it is precisely here that the difficulty – and, at the same time, the value – of maintaining balance becomes clear.

Less is not a weakness, but resistance. Stance. Maturity. True wealth is not about having much, but needing little.

This stance also shapes good design. For those who design, make a choice: for something, against much. Good design steps back, allowing the essential to become visible: the content, the function, the person. It requires discipline, sensitivity, and the willingness to curb one’s vanity for the sake of the whole. For even understatement becomes vanity when it turns into mere attitude.

Reduction must not be a pose. No cliché. No excuse. If it is not rooted within, it remains empty.

"So little design as possible" means: finding the right balance. Design that doesn’t distract, but focuses. Not shiny, but carries. Not speaking, but making what truly matters resonate.

Less is hard – and that’s why it’s so valuable. Because those who understand how to want less, often achieve more in the end. Perhaps this is the true art – in design. And in life.