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Revolutionary designs often flop. Boring ones get ignored. So what's the key to design success? Enter MAYA.
MAYA, or "Most Advanced Yet Acceptable," is a principle coined by industrial design pioneer Raymond Loewy. It's the sweet spot where innovation meets familiarity, and it's been driving market success for decades.
As journalist Derek Thompson brilliantly summed it up:
"To sell something surprising, make it familiar; and to sell something familiar, make it surprising."
How to Activate MAYA in Your Design:
Assess your product: Is it more familiar or surprising at its core?
Use design to shift in the opposite direction until you find balance.
➡️ Surprising product? Incorporate familiar patterns.
➡️ Familiar product? Explore a bolder design direction.
Remember: It's All About Balance
Surprising isn't inherently "good"
Familiar isn't inherently "bad"
They're equal and opposite forces – the design equivalent of Newton's third law of motion.
Your Mission:
Find the natural balance between familiar and surprising.
Encourage their equilibrium.
Tend to the homeostasis of their inherent tension.
Do this, and you're on your way to hitting the MAYA target.
The sweet spot where market success awaits.
