SXSW - Design Is In The Details

So there I was, sitting in room 18ABCD at SXSW 2008 watching a presentation designed more for the Food and Hospitality industry than for an Interactive Conference, thinking, "why the hell did I spend good money to listen to this shit?"when I realized God IS in the details. While the presentation started at a painstakingly slow pace, the speaker began making his points and his objectives where uncovered.

God is in the details. Good design begins with inspiration. Less is more.

I've had a few days to think about those simple concepts and began to appreciate where he was coming from. He wasn't promoting his friend's delicious cuisine, or pitching lines of clothing (at least I don't think he was), but making the point that inspiration comes from living life and paying attention to your surroundings, then incorporating that inspiration into your design. Example?

The next time you have designers block, go outside and look around. Pay attention to your surroundings. Ah ha! The way that tree's shadow bends, then curves right, then slowly fades into the grass - that would be a perfect design element for the background of this interface! Inspiration strikes!

Well, something like that.

God is in the details. Design is in the details. Thanks for the lesson SXSW!