Simple is Not the Same as Easy

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

Today I heard a talk by Ken Segall about the power of simplicity. Segall, a creative director that worked closely with Steve Jobs for several years, described how simplicity was central to the culture at Apple, which stood in stark contrast to several other large companies he had worked with during his career.

The thing about “simplicity” is that it is not the same as “easy”—in fact, it can very hard to keep something simple. Because, by definition, keeping something simple means some things are going to get left out. And making those decisions about what is essential, and what is not, can be difficult.

Simplicity takes courage—it takes guts—because often it’s easier to allow something to get bloated, than it is to deal with the tough decision of what to leave out.