Dieter Rams offers the antidote—not as a luxury, but as a necessity. “Less, but better — because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials.” Open the PDF. Read it slowly. Then close your laptop and design one thing with radical restraint.

But his real legacy? He asked one brutal question: “Is my design really good?” Not “Is it beautiful?” or “Will it sell?” but “Is it good ?”

That’s the practice. That’s the discipline. That’s less but better . Did this post resonate? Bookmark it, and next time you’re overcomplicating a design, come back to it. Better yet — go find the original PDF.

If you’ve never read the original essay or the accompanying design principles in PDF form, stop what you’re doing. Find it. Save it. Read it once a year.