The Laws of Simplicity: Design, technology, business, life by John Maeda (2006)

“Simplicity is sanity,” says Patti Palmer, quoting John Maeda. “Maeda is trying to get us to examine ourselves and simplify our lives.” It’s not an attempt to have us root out our craziness, but rather to articulate balance in our lives.

One of Palmer’s favorite laws, number 5, recognizes that simplicity and complexity balance each other. To recognize simplicity, we have to be able to understand what complexity is — and to recognize that simplicity is complex.

Technology creates more simple living for us, while creating increasingly complex information for our lives.

The book reminds us that our approach and our focus should remain simple. The same is true in social media. To have a clear voice, we must all find a balance of thought and action.

• Overall Response: A succinct, concise, and colorful guide for self reflection in an increasingly complex world.

About Digital Media Book Club: In the growing field of strategic communication, social media rockstars, academics, and digital thinkers are investing time and energy to share their learning with others. In my Digital Strategic Communication class, students in the Master of Arts in Organizational and Strategic Communication program at Queens University of Charlotte are sifting through a variety of texts to discover the embedded wisdom. These are their thoughts and reactions.