John Maeda, one of my favorite web-based artists, is the president of the Rhode Island School of Design, where he is dedicated to linking design and technology. Through software tools, web pages and books he creates, he spreads his philosophy of elegant simplicity. Maeda lives at the intersection of technology and art- a place that can get very complicated! 

In his fascinating career as a programmer and an artist, he's always been committed to blurring the lines between two disciplines. As a student at MIT, studying computer programming, the legendary Muriel Cooper persuaded him to follow his parallel passion for fine art and design. And when computer-aided design began to explode in the mid-1990s, Maeda was in a perfect position at the MIT Media Lab to influence and shape the form, helping typographers and page designers explore the freedom of the web.

This video is Maeda's talk about simplicity at the TED conference a few years ago.

It's worth the watch! Check it out! 

http://www.ted.com/talks/john_maeda_on_the_simple_life.html