Paul Graham on Good Design

Last November Paul Graham spoke at the Berkman  Center. As the notice said, “In a recent essay, "Taste for Makers," Paul argues that successful design, from math to software to painting, relies on the same aesthetic principles. Taste is therefore not a matter of subjectively appreciating fine works but is a required capability for creating great software. The essay shares some very interesting design principles that apply to software design as well as art. Paul has experience in both fields.  A few concepts. Good design is simple. Good design solves the right problem. Good design is suggestive. There are many more principles carefully defined with examples. Wikis are a good candidate for this. Brian Lamb quoted Charlie Mingus in his essay on wikis. “Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity. “ Take a look at what Paul wrote. It is full of good reminders.