Re: Perfect Imperfections

This blog post was inspired by this blog post, written by my friend Jeremiah. I mentioned his blog yesterday in the post script.

The post brought up something I've only vaguely put into words before, remaining mostly floating thoughts in my head rather than actual communication of ideas. But I think it's something important, at least to me. In discussing principles of design, he wrote: "While one may be able to say from either an artistic or engineering point of view the the finished product has several imperfections, one can also say that, being balanced, it's the perfect product."

I think our definition of "perfect" is wrong. I think we need to re-think "perfect." Perfect, in our society and our language, is mathematical: there is only one solution and all other possible answers are wrong. Broken. Inadequate. Flawed. But we think of "perfection" in romantic and abstract ways, not concrete and un-malleable ways. We can't even all agree on what "the ideal" is we set our standards at.

To debate, you must start by defining the terms in the statement you are arguing. If you don't, you're just arguing nonsense. Everyone needs to be on the same page for a debate, understanding the terms correctly, though differing in interpretation of what may be inferred by these definitions.

So how should we be defining "perfection"? If it's not a mathematical formula for the ideal, what is it? This is where design comes into play. To keep it simple, let's say I'm designing a flyer:

It's for a hardcore band, and they want flames all over the place. Flames are awesome, right? I could fill the background with flames and even make the text on fire. But wait, you say, no one can read that! Okay, so I make the word-flames a different colour. Happy now? Of course not. The texture still makes you strain to read. I have to use less flame. So I redesign it to be super easy to read, but now it's plain black text on white paper. No one's going to even stop to read.

From a hardcore, flame-loving perspective, the first version is the pest, is perfect. But from a reader hoping to find information about the band, the last is the best: simple, clear, and nothing unnecessary. Each of these, as Jeremiah points out, could be considered "perfect" on their own, but in the world of design, this is no longer enough. Perfect instead comes when compromise is made and balance is reached.

So let us define "perfect" not as a mathematical constant, but as a symbiotic relationship between opposing forces in which strengths and weaknesses unite instead of fight. Let us define perfection as the fearless embracing of such concepts and acceptance of supposed flaws. Let us define perfection as ever-changing and indefinable.