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Comment by Raphael | Hacker News Reader

Graphic design, if your concept or implementation is really stellar. Google and Reddit get by just fine. I've noticed that sites such as Digg will actually reduce graphics when redesigning the page, reducing clutter and bandwidth at the same time.

That is, as long as your target audience isn't primarily composed of Apple users. Then it's graphics all the way!

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''Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like,'' says Steve Jobs, Apple's C.E.O. ''People think it's this veneer -- that the designers are handed this box and told, 'Make it look good!' That's not what we think design is. It's not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.''

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E7D8113BF...

He specified "Graphic Design" and there he is probably right, if only because your typical hacker will un-self-consciously design a graphical monstrosity. My answer to the OP's question is: "Everything outside your core competence". It's relative, of course...

With the lavish resources they can throw at any project, it seems hardly appropriate for us to try to develop like them.

The best design is one you don't notice. To make a page look simple and "good", you need a skilled designer.

One data point -- I'm not a skilled designer and have tried to "keep things simple". My sites still end up looking like crap :) That is why I let the designers design, though.

Making something complex is easy. Making something simple is hard.

People often say that what they design ends up looking like crap. But that's like saying that your program "ends up" working like crap. If it's not good enough, all it means is it's unfinished.

It isn't just a matter of who your target audience is. It's also what their relationship is to the information you're managing. More detail than you probably want re. my struggle with this issue can be found here:

http://ourdoings.com/2008-02-12

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