just because you can, does not mean you should

Early on in my design career, when I worked primarily in graphic design, I can clearly remember my design mentor telling me that "design is indeed, communication" and I can also remember him stressing the importance of simplicity in design. This stuck with me.
With the advent of computer aided design, and all of the incredible software that came along with it, designers were given a great deal of power over the art they were creating. With literally hundreds of filters and effects, almost anything became possible. This was both good and bad.

The Good

With computer aided design we are able to extend the range of our communications (design) in ways that we would never have been able to do with the foundational ways that we created art in the past... This is GOOD.

The Bad

Along with computer aided design, came the loss of design discipline, AND THIS is what this post is really all about...

"Just because you can, does not mean you should..."

Keep your design clean and clear, communicate well. In some instances, the robust capabilities of computer aided design can come in really handy, however; when trying to get a clear message across, always think "simplicity". The value of the art does NOT increase with the addition of artifacts that have no real meaning to the art. The TRUE value comes from the clarity of the message.