I am a big fan of simplicity.  Many designers associate this term with being a minimalist, but there are a few subtle differences that separate the two.  Minimalists like Mies van der Rohe claim that ‘less is more’ and advocate designs that serve multiple purposes relying on light, lines, and textures  to add decoration, but this is far from simple.  These designs have a complex sophistication that takes careful thought and planning in order to accomplish its goal of providing a design with depth.  Transversely I think a simple design combines basic design elements or design changes to alter functionality with little aesthetic depth.   

The other day I found a great example of a simple design element that dramatically changes the original object’s function, the lock washer.  The washer is a wonderfully simple object that is used hundreds of times a day in a variety of industries.  The lock washer is just a simple variation on an already useful product to create an entirely new product.  I am sure there wasn’t a brainstorming session at the washer manufacturing plant to design ‘new cooler washers for the younger generation’, but rather someone was tinkering in their shop one day and discovered that a washer with a cut and a slight bend served to keep a bolt much tighter. 

The lesson to designers is to look for the simple solution first, and while it might not be exciting or revolutionary it might just be a great innovation.