Design Anomaly: When Less is More, When More is More.

Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe embraced the axiom "Less is more" to describe his creation of arranging the numerous forms into objects of extreme simplicity, by attributing every element and detail to serve multiple visual and functional purposes (such as designing a floor to also serve as the radiator, or a massive fireplace to also house the bathroom). Designer Buckminster Fuller adopted the engineer's goal of "Doing more with less", but he focused on engineering rather than aesthetics. A similar sentiment was adopted by industrial designer Dieter Rams' motto, "Less but better".

The maxim "More is More" was brought forth into mass consciousness in 2009 by the American pop recording artist Heidi Montag. "More is More" makes heavy use of synthesizers, specially the auto-tune software to alter Montag's voice. This is the key. "More is More" plays with the fabric of perception. Since the 1970s photographer Alex Webb has been exploring the visual over-load ability of his pictures: "It's not just that that and that exist. It's that that, that, that and that all exist in the same frame. I'm always looking for something more. You take in too much; perhaps it becomes total chaos. I'm always playing along that line: adding something more, yet keeping it short of chaos."

Hence the Anomaly.
Design can be an expression of extreme ascetic simplicity or it can be an overwhelming experience of shapes, colors and textures. In a trade show booth design it is an expression of that intangible emotional property more commonly known as the brand proposition. Chic Chocolates and Visa are 2 designs expressing the opposite modalites. Both designs are the grand expressions of their brand pshycology.

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