Taste for Makers

Paul Graham’s essay Taste for Makers argues that taste—the ability to recognize and create beauty—is a learnable skill, not mere subjective preference.

The Core Argument

“Taste is subjective” is wrong. Professionals who improve at their craft demonstrate that taste can be wrong, and that studying what makes things beautiful reveals consistent patterns across disciplines.

Principles of Good Design

Simplicity: “A shorter proof tends to be a better one.” Unnecessary ornament masks weak substance.

Timelessness: Excellence transcends fashion. Aim for designs that would appeal across centuries.

Solving the Right Problem: Designers often create ingenious solutions to the wrong questions.

Suggestiveness: Leaving space for interpretation engages audiences more than explicit explanation.

Apparent Ease: Masterful work conceals tremendous effort. Great designers make difficult solutions appear effortless.

Additional Qualities: Humor, hardship, symmetry, natural resemblance, willingness to redesign, selective copying, controlled strangeness, community support, and daring.

My Takeaway

Cultivating “exacting taste” combined with the ability to satisfy it produces great work. Study what’s beautiful. Learn to see.

How do you develop taste? I’d love to hear at persdre@gmail.com.