The whole thing is an aesthetic argument. You aren't obliged to agree or defend yourself if you disagree. Similarly, some people get value from the simplicity

The whole thing is an aesthetic argument. You aren't obliged to agree or defend yourself if you disagree. Similarly, some people get value from the simplicity and symmetry of the MacBook Pro/Air design, while others don't care at all what the bottom of a laptop looks like if the tech specs and price are good. https://tektype.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/laptop-bottom.jpg https://tektype.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/laptop-bottom.jp... http://www.ishootshows.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/apple-macbook-air-11-inch-0811.jpg http://www.ishootshows.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/apple-... The principles the author describes are not telling you what you should think, but rather they are patterns that predict the reactions people have had historically. As other commenters describe, some well-regarded designs have come about by people deliberately acting against the accepted principles. But it doesn't hurt to know what they are.