The best ideas come from staying white

Reference: http://www.12reads.cn/24554.html

In the diagram below, you may find that you see some white circles and a white diagonal link, but none of this is actually there. However, this is the most interesting part of the picture. Even if you want to ignore these gaps, the brain will defy this command:

White circles, with white diagonal links, but none of these actually exist.

All the visual artists will tell you that the importance of leaving the white space is no less than the pattern. Music is also, the importance of repose is no less than the note. But in the business world, we always want to make all the empty stalls full of noise, ready to launch new products, more functions, and then a conference call.

But if we can respect the space in white (or the right way to take away something to create a white one), we can let others fill in the blanks and add their interpretation and influence. As a matter of fact, I would say that the most compelling ideas have some deliberately white space. With less information, you can imagine more.

This is particularly evident in comics. Some people say that comics are fascinating, not because of what is in the lattice, but in the lattice between those gaps. Cartoonists refer to these blanks as "gutter" (grooves). These places retain space for the reader to interpret and thus attract their input. Our brains combine two different patterns in these places to turn them into an idea.

Toyota has a young-dominated brand scion, and designers are using this white strategy to create a sales and profitability of the very bright-eyed XB car model. The XB car is small and square, but there are hundreds of standard items available for customers to choose from, to meet Gen Y with popular accessories to create your own car to showcase your personal style. I was a Toyota consultant and saw the legendary evidence that the owner had spent nearly $15,000 on a flat screen, carbon-fibre interior, and high-end audio equipment for his xb. Scion let Toyota attack another customer base, stand for the future development. The key to success here is not what they offer, but what they "don't offer."

Apple launched the iphone for the first time in 2007, using a similar strategy. If you remember, it was said that the iphone was the most advertised high-tech gadget in history. Now speaking of propaganda means to promote through marketing , media and marketing. But that was not the case with Apple. Jobs only showed up once, at the Macworld Show in 2007, showcasing his iphone with his superb presentation skills. It was only January, and the iphone was not officially listed until June.

What about the middle gap? is a silence: no public propaganda, no marketing, no news to the media, no discount, no trial for people to comment on the prototype, no advertising war, there is no pre-order activities. Apple is a complete blockade of official news, and only Steve Jobs ' online demonstrations were used as the only source of information until the official listing. And by the bloggers and Apple's death-loyal enthusiasts took over, began to add personal speculation and interpretation, pieced together the whole thing. The iphone was already predictable even before it went public, with more than 20 million people expressing a willingness to buy.

To be deliberately white, let others have the opportunity to participate in the replenishment, the need for strict discipline behind. HBO broke the stereotypes of the "Sopranos" (Thesopranos), the original screenwriter David. Cheshunt (Davidchase) has launched a television series in the history of the most memorable "ending without ending." In the last few seconds of the final episode, it didn't tell the audience exactly how the plot ended, but it suddenly turned black when the plot was halfway through.

The audience was very angry, but soon turned into an unprecedented post-season comment craze, and the tipping point was that Cheshunt publicly said: "You want to see the full album of the audience, we have revealed all the clues." "Once the audience knows that every scene has a cheshunt design, they begin to examine each scene carefully, capturing every visual cue, lens angle, hue and shadow effect. The number of viewers has exploded to nearly 3 times times after 3 days of the album's Next gear.

These "white" spaces are equal to the eccentric care of the most loyal customers: These people will be willing to spend more effort, for you to complete the design of the sketches.

In-n-out Burger, a well-known chain of Hamburg stores in the southwestern United States, is also using this approach. The burger was founded in 1948 in Los Angeles by Sindh and Harry Andesthersnyder. For 65 years, In-n-out has never changed the menu, only 4 options: Burger, cheeseburger, double Cheese burger, French fries, and the 5th option is just a drink. That's all

But is that true?

Regulars know that In-n-out actually has a "secret menu", not only the number of items far more than the formal menu, can let customers arbitrarily collocation, and then according to the company's existing recipes to prepare (for example, if you point "Flying Dutchman", although the menu does not have this meal, but the receipt will print out the name). In-n-out's senior managers know that people will want to make up for what seems to be missing, so they decide to take advantage of it and do nothing to create new products for customers.

The best innovators , visual artists and cognitive scientists know that one of the most powerful things in the world is the human mind's desire to create meaning from the missing information. If you have an idea now, no matter what the form (maybe strategy, product, service, or startups), if you want the idea to be successful, you might as well consider leaving the white-minimalist approach.

The best ideas come from staying white