Stop. Don’t add all the bells and whistles. They’re a distraction.

Instead, simplify.

Reduce it to its essence.

Sometimes adding that extra thing to your work makes it special but mostly it bloats it. Makes it stodgy.

The tendency is to throw everything at it. Everything you can think of on top of each other. Spending huge amounts of time on it.

It doesn’t work. Strip it back. Spend more time on the core of it.

What the core is depends on the work you’re doing.

It doesn’t mean it can’t have style, or personality.

It just shouldn’t be confused.