Taste and Craft Skill

Building things that matter - the pursuit of quality

id: taste-and-craft name: Taste and Craft category: strategy version: 1.0.0 last_updated: 2025-12-19

description: | Good taste is knowing what is good. Craft is making it real. Together they separate products people tolerate from products people love. Paul Graham's essays explore how taste develops and why it matters.

This skill synthesizes PG's wisdom on quality, simplicity, and the details that separate great from good.

triggers: keywords: - taste - craft - quality - simplicity - design principles - attention to detail - good vs great - polish contexts: - Making quality decisions - Developing taste - Pushing for excellence

principles:

• name: Taste is learned, not innate description: | Taste is knowing what is good. It can be developed. Study great work. Understand why it is great. Compare to lesser work. See the difference. Taste grows through exposure and analysis. source: Taste for Makers examples: good: Studying great products, understanding principles, applying them bad: Assuming taste is innate, not investing in developing it

• name: Simple is hard description: | Simplicity requires understanding what is essential. Anyone can add complexity. Removing it requires knowing what matters. Simple solutions are not lazy - they are the hardest to achieve. source: Six Principles for Making New Things examples: good: Feature works perfectly with minimal UI, obvious how to use bad: Feature has many options, settings, configurations

• name: Details reveal care description: | Users notice when details are right, even if they cannot articulate why. Misaligned elements, inconsistent spacing, awkward copy - these signal lack of care. Getting details right signals quality throughout. source: Taste for Makers examples: good: Every element aligned, every interaction smooth, every word intentional bad: Close enough, ship it, users will not notice

• name: Good people make good things description: | Quality of work reflects quality of people and culture. Hire people who care about craft. Create environment where quality matters. Be good, and you will make good things. source: Be Good examples: good: Team debates details, pushes for better, celebrates quality bad: Team ships minimum viable, nobody cares about craft

• name: Timeless over trendy description: | Trends pass. Timeless principles endure. Simple, clean, bold choices last. Gimmicks date. Build for 10 years, not 10 months. source: Six Principles for Making New Things examples: good: Design that looked good 5 years ago and will look good in 5 years bad: Following current design trends that will look dated soon

anti_patterns:

• name: Complexity as sophistication description: Adding complexity to seem advanced example: Many features, many options, many settings why_bad: Users want simplicity. Complexity is often laziness in disguise. fix: Remove until it breaks. What is the minimum that delivers value?

• name: Quality later description: Assuming you can add quality after shipping example: Ship fast, polish later (later never comes) why_bad: Quality is a habit, not a phase. Patterns set early persist. fix: Build quality in from the start. Slower initially, faster overall.

• name: Ignoring details description: Dismissing small imperfections as unimportant example: Slightly off alignment, typos, inconsistent styles why_bad: Users feel it even if they cannot articulate it. Trust erodes. fix: Sweat the details. They are the surface of deeper quality.

• name: Trend chasing description: Adopting whatever is currently popular example: Redesigning to match latest design trends every year why_bad: Constant change is disorienting. Trends date quickly. fix: Choose timeless principles. Update rarely and intentionally.

• name: Taste as elitism description: Using taste to dismiss or exclude example: Rejecting input because user does not have taste why_bad: Taste should elevate, not exclude. Users know when things work. fix: Use taste to make things better for everyone.

patterns:

• name: Taste Development Practice description: Study great work systematically to develop taste over time when: Building your ability to recognize and create quality example: | 30 min daily: Analyze excellent products, understand why they're great Compare great and mediocre side-by-side. See the differences. Taste is learned through exposure and analysis, not innate.

• name: Simplicity Discipline description: Remove everything possible until it breaks, then add back one element when: Making design and product decisions example: | Feature works perfectly with minimal UI, obvious how to use Not: Many options, settings, configurations Simple is hard. Anyone can add. Removing requires understanding essence.

• name: Detail Obsession description: Sweat every small detail as signal of overall quality when: Reviewing work before shipping example: | Alignment, spacing, word choice, interaction timing Users feel quality in details even if they can't articulate it Details reveal care. Getting them right signals quality throughout.

• name: Timeless Over Trendy description: Choose design principles that age well over current trends when: Making aesthetic and architectural decisions example: | Would this have looked good 5 years ago? Will it look good in 5 years? Trends date quickly. Timeless principles endure. Build for 10 years, not 10 months.

• name: Quality as Habit description: Build quality in from the start, not as a later polish phase when: Beginning any project or feature example: | Quality first, even if slower initially. Pattern compounds. Not: Ship fast, polish later (later never comes) Quality is a practice, not a phase. Start as you mean to continue.

• name: Good People Make Good Things description: Hire people who care about craft and create culture where quality matters when: Building team and culture example: | Team debates details, pushes for better, celebrates quality Not: Minimum viable, nobody cares about craft Quality of output reflects quality of people and culture.

frameworks:

• name: PG Six Principles when_to_use: Design and product decisions structure:

  • "Simple: Can this be simpler? Remove everything possible."
  • "Timeless: Will this feel dated in 5 years?"
  • "Daring: Is this bold enough to be interesting?"
  • "Thorough: Are all the details right?"
  • "Good: Does this actually work well?"
  • "Delightful: Does this create joy?"

• name: Taste Development Practice when_to_use: Building your own taste structure:

  • "Study great work: 30 min daily analyzing excellent products"
  • "Understand why: What makes this great? What would make it less great?"
  • "Compare: Put great and mediocre side by side. See differences."
  • "Apply: Use insights in your own work"
  • "Get feedback: From people with better taste than you"

• name: Quality Check Questions when_to_use: Before shipping anything structure:

  • "Is this as simple as possible?"
  • "Will this age well?"
  • "Do all the details feel right?"
  • "Would I be proud to show this to someone I admire?"
  • "Does this reflect the quality of our team?"

• name: Timeless Design Audit when_to_use: Evaluating longevity of design decisions structure:

  • "Would this have looked good 10 years ago?"
  • "Will this look good 10 years from now?"
  • "Is this following a trend or a principle?"
  • "What in this might date?"

handoffs: receives_from: - skill: founder-character receives: Care and attention to bring - skill: ui-design receives: Visual decisions to evaluate

hands_to: - skill: product-strategy provides: Quality standards for product - skill: brand-positioning provides: Craft and quality brand elements

resources: essential: - title: Taste for Makers author: Paul Graham url: http://paulgraham.com/taste.html type: essay why: The essay on developing and applying taste - title: Six Principles for Making New Things author: Paul Graham url: http://paulgraham.com/newthings.html type: essay why: Practical principles for creating quality work

recommended: - title: Be Good author: Paul Graham url: http://paulgraham.com/good.html type: essay why: Why goodness and quality are connected - title: The Design of Everyday Things author: Don Norman type: book why: Classic on how good design works