Absence

In conducting his interview with Jason Santa Maria on the most recent episode of The Big Web Show, Jeffrey Zeldman asked a seemingly innocuous little question that has set my mind buzzing.

“Are you ever inspired by the absence of something?” he inquired. The given context was that Zeldman has created A List Apart because he was unable to read the kind of web design site that he wanted to. Jason started Typedia for similar reasons but while using the absence of a product in the marketplace as a source for idea generation is a proven and effective tactic, the concept of being inspired by what’s missing is more broadly applicable to design.

“We must learn what a building can be, what it should be, and also what it must not be …”
- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

It’s not a new idea. Not even nearly. It is, however, a Modern idea. Modernism, especially as applied in architecture, is practically founded on this principle. By removing forms and artifices that don’t serve precise functions, Modern architects are able to infuse meaning and purpose into every line and structure of a building. The goal is to achieve a total efficiency that produces beauty which leads to delight. In other words, Modern architecture strives to create spaces that are primarily usable.

Web designers should aspire to this ideal as well. When we design sites or applications, we are designing for use. Every box, color, typographic and styling detail should be carefully considered and implemented (or not) to produce a specific impact. The question, “What can be removed?” should be asked far more often than, “What else does this need?”

“If you give people nothingness, they can ponder what can be achieved from that nothingness.”
- Tadao Ando

The far east art of sumi-e has embodied these minimalist principles for centuries. The artists literally attempt to achieve the most meaning with the fewest brush strokes. This attitude pervades the Japanese culture fully and can be noticed in traditional music, which concerns itself greatly with the space between notes, and even in anime dialog with its often long pauses between phrases.

The best examples of application design are also usually defined by their lack of features. Instead of being packed with widgets, the most useful apps accomplish a very specific task in a way that is perfect, or nearly perfect for their users. In fact, many of the products we know best seem to be defined by the ways in which they are imperfect for a large group of potential users but just right for the target audience. I’m going to call this technological wabi-sabi.

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

Now I’m off to brew some green tea and meditate on enlightenment in an empty room … or just get back to work.