How important is symmetry when we talk about design?

On the reading “ A Fine Balance”, the author talks about how boring is symmetry, praising, on the other hand, the asymmetrical. However, in some way, there cannot be asymmetry without symmetry. To understand asymmetry one has to first understand what is symmetry. And, on the contrary to what the author states, making something symmetrical is not always an easy task. On the same note, making something asymmetrical is also hard. Nevertheless, there shouldn’t be a competition about which one of these is harder. Both designs have their own difficulties. It is challenging to create something symmetrical without being boring and square. At the same time, it takes some skill to make something asymmetrical, but not messy and overwhelming. Maybe the author was right when saying, “Pure symmetry will hardly ever do”, because perhaps, a good design has to have a balance between symmetrical and asymmetrical, and so, pure asymmetry will also hardly ever do.

Regarding a fragment of the talk “Inside the Lines”, it is interesting to notice what one of the people say about websites starting to look alike, nowadays. The person states that maybe it is a good thing that this is happening, just like books that are laid out all the same, because people get more concerned about the content itself. It can’t be known if this is an absolute truth, but perhaps designers are trying to find a way to make the design look seamless, that is, flowing well with the content, which makes sense, because a good design is indeed a seamless one.