The Laws of Simplicity
Publication Design

The Laws of Simplicity is a 100 page book. The original text, taken from John Maeda’s book, was given a hierarchal outline to create a system within the book. The design and system I created focuses on usability and navigation. The beginning of each section tells the reader how long the section is and where they are within the book. Each section features marks on the upper right corner, so if someone flips through the book they can easily find what they are looking for. All sections start with a black page to indicate a transition.

Process

This progress shows the evolution of a single law through placing the text in InDesign all the way to the final direction centered around navigation. Throughout this project I practiced a lot of restraint and mindful editing to create a final design that is simple, but effective with well edited typography.

The book was printed on French Paper and perfect bound. I picked a bright yellow for the cover and complimented it with a warmer beige for the text paper. I enjoyed learning about the physicality of books, as well as the digital design aspect. This piqued my interest in books, and after this project I learned about bookbinding to have more control over the bookmaking process.