The Little Things

Detail wasn't something I paid much attention to back then.

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It was meant for a child; playful teddy bears filled nearly an entire side of the large canvas. Their outlines were simple, done in black thread on a white cotton background. They held balloons. They smiled, mouths open in friendly invitation. They were in no particular pattern -- random, as if someone had gone berserk with a giant, teddy-bear-shaped stamp. It would have been chaos, had it not been for a thin black border, inches away from each edge. There, the layers of teddy bear were cleanly separated from their pure white surroundings. The handiwork wasn't neat either, but neat would have killed it. The homemade authenticity of each uneven stitch and loose thread provided a comfort that surpassed any blanket that could have been bought in stores.

Compared to products that tried capturing a child's attention with flashy colors, that blanket of mine was dull. Boring, even. But it was unique, and this originality caught my eye. The entire blanket was free of color save for a single brown bear and its three balloons: red, blue, and yellow. It stood out from the dozens of others around it. I liked that one. It felt alive with character the others lacked. Despite the absence of purples, oranges and greens, nothing was missing.

Detail wasn't something I paid much attention to back then, but I realize now, after seeing a multitude of well-designed logos and products, that clean and simple works well, as it did with the blanket. Often, the most impressive (and practical) logos are black-and-white, with one or two accent colors that "bring out the flavor."

But this wasn't a logo. It was a blanket, and it was soft. As attractive as it looked, I wouldn’t have cared for it had it not been for the comfort factor. Logos strive to please the eye, but a product's form must fit both its function and audience. My blanket definitely passed the kid-approved test.

Good design is timeless. It is blind to age, gender and race; mute, yet its message is clear and concise; deaf to criticism, but responds to change; static, but reaches out to the eyes of the masses.

Detail wasn’t something I paid attention to back then, but as I continue learning -- as I continue experiencing -- I'm making it a point to be aware now.