Iteration
I recently read Simplifying the Bull: How Picasso Helps to Teach Apple’s Style, an article about how Apple uses Picasso’s process of eliminating details to teach its designers about striving for simplicity when creating their products.
Le Taureau (The Bull). Pablo Picasso, 1945.
Lisa Mouse, 1983 | ADB Mouse II, 1993 | Mighty Mouse, 2006 | Magic Mouse, 2009.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
—Leonardo da Vinci
It’s fascinating to see such clear visual evolution—whether in art or product design—where each iteration eliminates the superfluous and reduces the work to its essence. A designer understands that “less is more” and “perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away”, although striving towards simplicity on one level may increase the complexity of the system on a different level.
However, the important thing for me in these cases is the idea of iteration. This pattern of iterative refinement appears across industries and applies to absolutely everything, from writing, public speaking, cooking, designing and programming to business strategy or process.
Porsche 911 Evolution
Change is easy. Improvement is far more difficult.
—Ferdinand Porsche
SpaceX Raptor Evolution
Being able to do good work involves learning, correcting and improving during each iteration based on the feedback you get, and every intermediate step is necessary to reach the final solution.
That’s why I believe iteration is the ultimate sophistication.
April 28, 2020 | @ArturoHerrero