I’m currently working on a start-up project in the area of performance management. Part of the challenge is designing a user interface that combines the visual language of iconography with universally appropriate contextual metaphors, without lapsing into mere skeumorphism.

Having read some of the criticisms of Apple’s iOS7 logos and user frustration with the “improved functionality” of Apple’s new operating system, I found myself turning to the design philosophy of Paul Rand, who created the famous IBM rebus – the genius of which lies in the way it deployed human and natural components to depict a major computer brand. Rand said that simplicity wasn’t his goal, more a result of the design process. He also said design is simple, which is why it is so complex, and that design is everything.

So, while I ponder the application of human factors to a new product design, and as I search for some inspiration, I came across this animated version of Rand’s logo by Chris Rush.