Refreshed

If you’re reading this via RSS reader, you may want to click through instead. I’ve been really trying to focus on simplicity lately in my designs, and this version of Chris-Wallace.com is no exception. I’ve stripped out all the unneeded elements, all the distractions, and what’s left is a simple, usable website. Now, of course, it’s not perfect. I actually just transformed the previous theme from the site into the one you see here by changing the 12-column grid to a different width (from 960 to 720) and updated some typography and a simple new mark (inspired by friend Trent Walton‘s new mark and designed using my new Wacom Intuos4 pen tablet).

Simplicity in Design

One of my favorite quotes regarding simplicity in design comes from someone a heck of a lot smarter than I:

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.

Albert Einstein

I love that quote. When I first started designing at the ripe age of 15, I wanted to overload every page with graphical elements that “look cool.” Looking back, I did make some “cool” things, but I can’t say they were very purposeful or easy to use. Over the past few years, I’ve learned a great deal about purposeful interaction design and building websites with the user’s goals in mind, instead of my own, which are never the same. Getting back to that quote from Albert Einstein, I’ve begun to incorporate that philosophy into my work and have been extremely pleased with the results.

A Challenge to Simplify

In my quest to simplify my designs, a new desire to simplify my life has also sprung forth. A focus on God and my family is something I’ve always needed, but have told myself that it will all fall into place “in time” or “when things settle down.” One of my main goals in the coming months is to make sure I’m spending the time with my family that I want to spend with them. Less internet, less distraction, less wasting time on unimportant things. More time in prayer, more time with family, more time meeting my family’s needs (and not just financially, which has always been my focus).

What can you do to simplify?