My wife and I bought our Tesla in 2018, long before Elon Musk was rebranded as a chainsaw swinging “budget consultant”.  One of the things that stood out was the simple elegance of the interior.  Whenever friends rode in our car, their first question was always the same – “Where are all the controls?”

Another visionary billionaire entrepreneur, the late Steve Jobs, would have loved it – Jobs was famous for his “koumpounophobia”, though his was more of an aversion to buttons than a fear.  His feelings had a profound influence on Apple’s product designs -smooth, buttonless devices like the iPhone and the Apple mouse.  His preference for simplified design even extended to clothing, like his signature black turtlenecks.

This minimalist approach is not new.  More than 5 centuries ago, Leonardo da Vinci wrote “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”  His paintings as well as his inventions reflected this focus on essential elements, clean lines and streamlined design.  Though user interfaces were not yet a thing, Leonardo understood the power of elegance over showiness. <continue reading>