White space is the new black in design and not all white
space is well, white. Maybe that’s a misnomer – let’s say negative space is the
new black. Now it doesn’t work as a joke anymore, but I digress. Minimalism in
design, particularly graphic design has been surging in popularity recently.
From movie posters, type, advertising and everything else under the sun,
designers are leaving everything and the kitchen sink behind in their designs.
However, this is where the core concept of minimalism in design gets lost in
translation and ultimately fails at accomplishing its intention
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| Rather "blah" design for Superman. It doesn't paint a picture for the viewer. |
In order for minimalism to accomplish its dreams and goals,
the designer has to strip down the intended concept to its bare bones while
still leaving the soul intact. The core idea has to be represented in the most
simplistic way possible without leaving the visual consumer wondering what they
are indeed consuming and for what reason.
For example, minimalist movie posters have been all the rage
lately. Someone might take Superman’s iconic curly-q hairstyle and slap that
shape on a solid colored background and call it a Superman poster. Yet, while
you’ve stripped everything down to the bare bones, you also took the soul out
of Superman. This is where the popular “minimalist” style in design fails more
often than not.
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| Clever, well executed minimalistic design for Little Red Riding Hood. |
You might recognize Superman’s iconic hairstyle but so what?
Where do you go from here? The designer needs to capture Superman’s essence and
character in a different way. He saves people on the daily, is in love with
Lois Lane, represents protection and serves as a vanguard for the city and its
people. Capture all of that in a poster while using the bare minimum and then
you could call it an accomplished minimalist design. Seems a lot harder now
doesn’t it? This is why the famous minimalist artists are so good – they can
accomplish this huge feat.
The design fundamentals of function and form all tie into
this as well. Some argue that this is where art and design differentiate. Art
is more concentrated on form; the evocative nature of the piece takes
precedence while the function of the piece is secondary. Design is the
opposite; you have a problem that needs solving whether it be to advertise for
a car, movie, band, etc. In the Little Red Riding Hood design on the right, the story and even characters are developed in the most simple of ways. You get the feeling the big bad wolf is the antagonist while our sweet, Red Riding Hood is the protagonist. The functionality of the design now takes precedence
while form falls behind.
Minimalism, in design, requires a
function or purpose to drive the design all the while stripping down its form.
