Recently read Japan: through the looking Glass. Macfarlane 2007
It got me thinking can the Japanese aesthetic be leveraged in digital design. Macfarlane quotes Donald Keen as saying its ideals are:
* Suggestion
* Irregularity
* Simplicity
* Perishability
Japanese aesthetic also brings together the natural and the artificial. '...This is very important. One is borrowing from nature. It's very artistic for us to create artificial nature within a human space.'
Source: p.35 Japan: through the looking Glass. Macfarlane 2007
'Almost everything around the Japanese is highly artificial, crafted, yet the final effect is to make is seem natural and unforced. As in true art, there seems to be no other way things could be. All possibilities are encompassed, even if only one is chosen.'
Source: p .47 Japan: through the looking Glass. Macfarlane 2007
They make a lot of use of miniaturisation and symbolism. Representing complex ideas with minimal design elements.Perhaps you should consider using the Japanese aesthetic as inspiration for your next digital design project.