John Maeda Libri

Collected in this volume are the philosophy and complete work of pioneering graphic artist John Maeda, who transformed the world of graphic art by using the computer as a creative medium. Full-color illustrations.

We are increasingly recognizing that simplicity equates to sanity, rebelling against overly complicated technology and cumbersome manuals. The iPod has made simplicity fashionable, yet we often find ourselves in a simplicity paradox: desiring user-friendly products that can also perform complex tasks. John Maeda presents ten laws for navigating the balance between simplicity and complexity in business, technology, and design, advocating for achieving more by needing less. As a professor at MIT's Media Lab and a renowned graphic designer, Maeda challenges us to rethink what "improved" means, suggesting it doesn’t always require adding features. His first law, "Reduce," emphasizes that not every technological addition is beneficial. Features must be organized sensibly (Law 2) to prevent user distraction. However, simplicity shouldn't be pursued for its own sake. Law 9 acknowledges that some elements may never be simplified. Maeda’s concise guide illustrates how simplicity can be foundational for organizations and their products, driving both business and technology. We can learn to simplify without compromising comfort and meaning, ultimately achieving the balance described in Law 10, "The One," which states that simplicity involves subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.

Lessons for a new generation of leaders on teamwork, meetings, conversations, free food, social media, apologizing, and other topics.

A simple, enduring framework for understanding the complex world of AI and machine learning. “Before you can get machines to do what you want, you’d better learn to speak their language. John Maeda engineers rapprochement between humans and our computational creations in this engaging, enlightening book.” —Douglas Rushkoff, author of Team Human As the capabilities of AI and language models like ChatGPT continue to advance, it is more important than ever to understand the implications and potential pitfalls of these technologies. In this book, John Maeda draws on his extensive experience as one of the world's preeminent interdisciplinary thinkers on technology and design to provide actionable guidance for businesses, product designers, and policymakers. Using thoughtful explorations and occasionally whimsical examples, he identifies a framework that describes the key capabilities and pitfalls of any machine learning system, and offers a vision for how they can be used to create inclusive and world-changing products. This is essential reading for anyone seeking a high-level understanding of how machines “think” and what the future may hold.

Mit seinen unkonventionellen Thesen zum Umgang mit Computern im Bereich der Grafik hat der amerikanische Design- und Informatikprofessor John Maeda die Grafikwelt schokkiert. Er weist nach, dass nahezu alle zeitgenössischen Grafiker mit vorgefertigten Programmen arbeiten, durch die sie zu «abhängigen Anwendern vorgefertigter Industrienormen» werden. Somit bestimmen das Programm und seine Möglichkeiten das Endprodukt - und nicht mehr die Intuition und Absicht des Gestalters, der damit den zentralen Zugang zum schöpferischen Prozess verliert. Dagegen setzt Maeda seine Vorstellungen, dass, wer wirklich schöpferisch tätig sein will, wieder programmieren lernen muss: DBN = Design by Numbers heißt sein selbst entwickelter, interaktiver Grundkurs der Programmierung, der der individuellen Kreativität keine Programm(ier)grenzen setzt. Creative Code dokumentiert, dass DBN für eine breite Schicht von Anwendern erlern- und anwendbar ist und präsentiert von Maeda ausgewählte und kommentierte Arbeiten seiner Studenten.