Sometimes it pays to judge a book by its cover.

I find myself returning again and again to Garr Reynolds’ potent book on presentation, persuasion, and design: presentationzen. The core of the book is summed up by its opening quote from Leonardo da Vinci, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Simplicity indeed is a complex notion. It embraces concepts of elegance and eloquence, austerity and power, consistence, purpose, and intention. Weaving these concepts to achieve the simple can result in things beautiful (Southern Song dynasty ink landscapes), awe-inspiring (“of the People, by the People, for the People”), and dominant (Nike’s swoosh).

In my profession—lawyer turned legal visual designer—I’ve designed and used simple (and sophisticated) demonstratives in briefs and trials that quite literally defined the narrative of the proceeding. I fully believe the persuasive power of these “simple” visuals has been the difference between winning and losing on many occasions.

I think everyone can benefit from Garr Reynolds’ impressive work.