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Being a Female, What is your Clothing Style?

  1. patti On December 7th, 2010 at 8:04 am
    1

    Thank you for bringing this up. Nothing is more annoying to me when I see an ad for a restaurant or a place I find intriguing than to not have an address or phone number listed. When I am perusing ads, I want to know right then if it’s near enough to my house for me to consider patronizing and not have to go home and pull it up on my computer because all that was given was a web address. I think many businesses lose customers that way. Luckily, this too is a fad, and will eventually go by the wayside.

  1. chotrul seo On December 7th, 2010 at 8:14 am
    2

    I really enjoyed your provocative post. I must admit I’m a big fan of minimalist design. However, there were a lot of thought provoking views in your mail that have really got me reflecting. It’s pretty clear that minimalism isn’t an end in itself … but one more tool we have in our design arsenal.

  1. Eivind B On December 7th, 2010 at 8:37 am
    3

    There is clearly a balance t be struck, even when it comes to minimalism, not just content rich websites. Minimalism is about having the appropriate options and information available at all times and in the right context. When you fail to strike that target with your audience it will be looked upon as either superfluous or lacking. I guess the trick to minimal design is to give the user what he needs with a very good hit-margin, which is dependent on a very homogenous user group and to know that group well. Otherwise the design will strike on either side of the scale of “too much” or “too little”.

    For a varied audience you might be better off striking on the “too much” side of the scale with some of the users to provide usability for the rest. Which I guess I swhatyoure getting at. :)

  1. siesti On December 7th, 2010 at 10:35 am
    4

    as long as people can understand it, I think it’s not a problem.

  1. Ankit Bathija - Interaktive Basement On December 7th, 2010 at 11:21 am
    5

    Have seen this trend a lot recently, designers just finding an excuse to do minimal sites and claiming its more usable, etc. We need to get beyond this and design keeping the visitor in mind, not just getting our work done faster.

  1. Josh On December 7th, 2010 at 11:27 am
    6

    i agree 100%, i’m a design student and i’ve seen way to many students declaring their half assed design as minimalism.

  1. Sahan On December 7th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
    7

    I’d say, mix of both :)

  1. Jennifer Moline, PsPrint On December 7th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
    8

    I think when done well, minimalism looks good and is easy to comprehend without all the clutter.

  1. Minimalist design | Ettema301's Blog On December 7th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
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    [...] http://www.graphicdesignblog.org/minimalist-design-trend/#more-6896 This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. ← Barcode Design LikeBe the first to like this post. [...]

  1. Brendan Steele On December 7th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
    10

    I really think it depends on the situation. For some clients a minimalist design might convey the simplicity/elegance of what they offer. Some designers, however, never branch out from this approach and use it for all their creations regardless of whether it works for the client or not. I think it would be fair to label such designers as either lazy, or just ill-prepared for the work they are taking on.

  1. Dave W. On December 8th, 2010 at 1:54 am
    11

    I’m a fan of minimilist design. I care about the content, not the design.

  1. Gagan Chhatwal On December 8th, 2010 at 2:57 am
    12

    Minimalist design is a good thing but still the content is more important then design

  1. queenlife On December 8th, 2010 at 4:42 am
    13

    Yes, simple is better! It always looks more professional.
    Most clients want to fill up every square inch of their webpages with clutter. I wish they knew the art of simplicity.

  1. Doug S. On December 8th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
    14

    1. Leaving crucial elements out doesn’t make a design minimal, it makes you a bad designer.
    2. Bad designers do minimalism. Good designers do Gestalt. Yes, there is a difference.
    3. If minimalism was a fad, then why is Joseph Müller-Brockman considered to be one of the greatest graphic designers of all time? The man was a hyper-minimalist.

    Never assume minimalism requires less sophistication. To do a really good minimalist design everything has to be perfect because all the details stand out. Anyone can do a design that’s simple, not everyone can do a design that’s minimal.

  1. Tom, NewEvolution On December 8th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
    15

    Also, you to have to take functionality in to consideration. Simple websites have a better chance of working right on all of the different types of devices we now have.

  1. Marc On December 8th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
    16

    Great post, and discussion. I think with everything else in design, it’s about intent. Going minimal because you don’t have the knowledge or skills to do something groundbreaking is a smart thing to do. However if you choose to stay there because you don’ t want to learn anything more, you’re being lazy.

    Intention is what separates design from everything else, if you’re doing things intentionally, and keeping it clean because it’s your personal taste, or meshes well with your style, or even showcases your work in a way that makes it stand out, that’s good design.

  1. Lincoln Solicitors On December 8th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
    17

    Minimalist designs are most definitely a trend but the reason that they are so popular now is because they are so easy on the eye. When we look at a website we don’t want to see clutter. We want to be able to quickly scan a page and move on if necessary.
    I feel it’s best not to clutter your pages with too much information. This can only put the viewer off.

  1. psy-sci On December 8th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
    18

    I agree somewhat with minimalism taken too far. However, your examples were weak. Although the business card and logo seem to vaguely prove your point I am sure you could have found worse designs. Personally I think it is easy to see that the minimalist web design example is for graphic design as it states clearly. The Lego poster is quite smart. It may be a minimal design but it is minimal for a reason. It ties to evoke your imagination to create an image of what you would build with legos. I also thought the package design was quite nice and I would hope that everyone with some sort of education is familiar with the periodic table of elements which I learned not only in Chemistry but in Earth Science. If you are trying to get your point across please use examples that make you really understand what you are trying to say.

  1. graphic design inspiration On December 8th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
    19

    Not everyone liked the minimalist,
    Not everyone likes to hustle.
    Minimalist usually only applies to people who are already bored with the hustle and already saturated with trinkets on a blog or site.

  1. Eddie On December 8th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
    20

    I do believe that you have a point in across all your post, sometimes simplicity is just misdirect an not completely clear. i think the secret behind it is to go as minimal as possible without dissecting a brand or the readability of a concept.

    At the end the goal is to communicate a lot with less

  1. Andrew B. On December 8th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
    21

    Minimalism CAN work, but in many cases, it’s simply holding up the mediocre as the profound.

  1. aShocka On December 9th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
    22

    Very nice post! I personally have to stand on the side of minimalism - I think that when there’s no design clutter it makes the content stand out more. See Facebook? And Google? Amazon? We go on these sites because we want information and adding any needless graphic elements would only make browsing and searching harder.
    On the other side, sites that promote or present something and are not targeted at displaying lots of informations, could have a reason to be all colorful and kitchy :)

  1. Casimir On December 9th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
    23

    Sorry to come of as abrasive, but this post really rubbed me the wrong way. It would help if the examples you provided actually displayed half-assed minimalism, but honestly, I thought they were all very nice and, if anything, underscored how effective minimalism can be when done well.

    The LEGO ad was genius. Yes, I noticed what it was right away. Am I more intelligent than the average viewer? Hardly. This ad encapsulated so much of what was exciting about playing with Legos, that sense of infinite possibilities when presented with a blank board.

    The business card: Again, beautiful. Granted, I don’t know what the business does, so I can’t speak on whether or not it’s effective for their needs. But, on a purely aesthetic level, this is definitely a card I would hold on to and, at the very least, follow up with the business to see what they do.

    They say good writing is re-writing. Well, good design is refinement.

    What’s doubly-disheartening is how this post overlooks the incredible amount of work that goes in to producing a harmonious, clear, and intriguing minimalist design. There’s nothing “lazy” about it. If anything, I find the desire to throw whatever comes out of you on the canvas and call it finished to be more lazy than anything.

    And what I appreciate the most about minimalism is the way it allows your mind to fill in the blanks. It allows the viewer to become a participant in the work, not just a passive observer. I thoroughly adore just staring at a Josef Muller-Brockmann poster or a Mark Rothko painting and imagining what lies in “the empty space”, so to speak.

    I’m not saying this to diminish the aesthetic beauty of some more complex or free-form designs. There is a place for both. But I think it’s really hasty and a little bit trollish to imply that a commitment to minimalism is a result of laziness.

    But regardless of what style one appropriates, one thing is always true:

    Good design is refinement.

  1. Chris On December 9th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
    24

    The root word is “minimum.” To reach a minimum, certain requirements must be met; some of the designs we’re talking about don’t meet the minimum requirements of a useful design. Maybe the definition of the word is what these offending designers need to consider.

  1. alyssa On December 9th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
    25

    Interesting topic. I wonder the same thing with some contemporary art.

  1. Bro the Duck On December 10th, 2010 at 10:39 am
    26

    I think that poorly executed minimalism is lazy, but it can be harder to reduce something to a minimalist style. Like most things it depends on the situation and the application and if it is poorly delivered, it is sh**. If it is good, it is good.

  1. James On December 12th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
    27

    Minimalism can be an amazing use of negative space and composition, or it can just look like total crap because the “designer” has no sense of spatial relationship or aesthetic, they just want to throw something on a white backdrop and call it minimalist.

  1. Minimalism in Design: Is it really a trend or are people just lazy? | VisualReload On December 14th, 2010 at 10:10 pm
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  1. sanne en lize On December 15th, 2010 at 11:19 am
    29

    Minimalism could work in some aspects. Its not always the best option, but sometimes it just is.
    The thing we think it is, is that minimalism should be seen as goal in itself, but as way to make something clear. The designs that are shown on the site, are clear to us, on the other hand, in some cases there is to less info. So you always have to make shure you don’t leave anything important out. Otherwise people just wont get it.

  1. ben meulemans On December 17th, 2010 at 4:07 am
    30

    Own opinion in the article: “Minimalist Designs - is it a trend or are we just lazy?

    After reading this article I noticed that the author has a perception of contemporary graphic design that I completely disagree. He claims that in today’s minimalist designs to be applied in the field of graphic designer. When we look at history, this trend is, in my opinion, anything but modern. The idea that graphic design as minimalist as possible and must dispose of unnecessary detail in order to come to the essence, was reflected in the Bauhaus and related tendencies in the first half of the twentieth century. At that time there was already criticism of the simplicity of the designs, which, as in this article, quickly said that this was shortsighted a sign of laziness was. If you some examples of this sophisticated art compares cynical imitation of Nazi posters, you notice rapidly that little remains of the nuance and sophistication of the originals, which you can infer that in good minimalist designs common research involves.

    After World War II developed a movement that just went against the taut minimalist designs. Postmodernism was just as much as possible be displayed, where the technical academic from the Bauhaus was rejected. They now sought to ordered chaos. The Modernist and Post Modernist movements alive today still coexist. This piece of history leads me to the point of this discussion is simply wrong. Minimalist designs are not trend, it is a continuation of modernism. There are today at least as many designers previously postmodern vision in their designs stabbing.

    Ben Meulemans
    Lawrence Casier
    3BA GO PHL //// Johannes Késsene

  1. cartier pens On December 17th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
    31

    I must admit I’m a large fan of minimalist design. However, there were many thought provoking views in your mail that have really got me reflecting. It’s clear that minimalism isn’t an end in itself … but one more gizmo they have in our design arsenal

  1. Kristien On December 20th, 2010 at 7:52 am
    32

    I think every good designer knows that a design doesn’t only have to look good, it also has to be functional. That’s why we call it ‘design’ and not ‘art’. It has to shape things with a certain purpose in mind.
    So when we’re talking about minimalism: if you know what you’re doing, the content of your design will still be clear. Minimalist designs will probably even be easier to understand and use. And like you said: ‘designing minimal things is not an easy task and takes a lot more effort than designing normal designs’.
    I know there are a lot of people who misuse the minimalist way of shaping things, but I don’t think the technique is to blame, rather than the ability of a designer to convey a certain message.

  1. Katrien & Lien On December 20th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
    33

    In some cases Minimalism works. But you need to know when to use it. The designer needs to detach himself from the trends in designs. He has to be open for everything and make the best choice for his task. In brand design you have to be careful because the brand has to be clear, it tells where the company stands for.
    In the other examples minimalism works. Teasing people is a way to make advertising, it needs to interest people. It’s good that they have to give it a moment’s thought for a product or a company. They have to think about the message. This is a benefit for the product or the company. That’s what minimalism does.

  1. Peter Mulders On December 20th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
    34

    Minimalistic design is for sure a real part of ‘Design’. There is no doubt that minimalistic design can cost as much effort and money as ‘other’ design. The most complex rendered 3D wireframe, hand painted and knitted by 30 over payed European hand-workers can cost a lot of time and money. But what about that single designer creating just one white dot on a black piece of paper in about 15 minutes? Can this be or mean the same? Is the white dot in any way less ‘valuable’ then the hand-knitted wireframe? For me, there is just one important thing to keep in mind along the line of ‘design’. Cheap or expensive, time-eating or blazing fast, there has to be a ‘concept’, idea, big story or point to be made behind all that. If the design serves the concept and the concept is the design, only then the design is real. Minimalistic or hyper-mega-gigantic, that doesn’t matter in any way.

  1. Celine en Inge On December 21st, 2010 at 3:39 am
    35

    In minimalistic design there’s usually a clear vision, composition or structure. A lot of effort and thought has been put in these works, perhaps more than in an average design. Therefore I wouldn’t write most minimal designs off as lazy. Although when the idea behind the minimalistic design remains absent it could come across as lazy.

    We do however consider your examples to be a bit vague, for example the name card. We think it goes along with its time and the kind of people that would want to contact the company, usually have access to the Internet and therefore the website. Nevertheless a company’s design, whether it’s a website, product or business card, does need to stand in function of the business’ purpose.

    However when there’s truly a need for extra information, it can be put into the design in a correct, and still minimalistic way.

  1. Noortje en Dorien On December 21st, 2010 at 7:55 am
    36

    We think it is an agility to communicate the essence with using as less as possible (without any decoration). So minimalism is not always lazy.
    Minimalism can be use to make people curious (example: in the marketing industry) by using a less of information. But usually you have to tell all the information otherwise the message is not clear for everyone and you failed as a (graphic) designer.
    The business card is a very good example of not telling everything that is necessary.

  1. Jessie en Jordi On December 21st, 2010 at 1:28 pm
    37

    I think it’s even harder to create something minimalistic instead of an ordinary design. It’s certainly not a case of laziness. The difficulty lies in assembling as much information as possible within a few words. When we design we look at the aesthetic part, but also the functional aspect can certainly not be forgotten. Of course there are also low quality designs, but we find this not only in minimalist designs. You can find a bad design everywhere. It’s about trying to make an original high quality design.

  1. Aline en Paulien On December 21st, 2010 at 1:31 pm
    38

    Minimalism is an art form and just like any other form of art it has people that love this genre, and others that don’t. As a designer we think a lot about the functionality of a design. Minimalism in web design, for example, is better because there’s not a lot on the screen and there’s no excessive information either. The user can easily navigate throughout the site.
    It shouldn’t be too minimalistic either: The user still has to be able to understand it. Like any other art form, minimalism has certain degrees.
    Minimalism shouldn’t be labeled as lazy, it’s about making the design as pure as possible and leaving the excessive behind so it’s easier for usability.

  1. Joren Peters & Ruben Wouters & Simon Lynen On December 21st, 2010 at 2:53 pm
    39

    Sometimes a design doesn’t need anything more than what it stands for. When a message is delivered, the goal is reached. Unnecessary elements aren’t needed in some cases. It depends on which style you’re working in, wich depend on the customer you’re working for. In this society time is something very valuable. You have to record information very quickly, wich is exactly what minimalistic design offers. Only the essence, nothing more. That’s why this form of design is so popular in this era .
    It’s harder to create something good with a few elements, than with many.

    But design is also about taste, it’s not an exact science

  1. Lieselotte On December 21st, 2010 at 4:33 pm
    40

    Minimalistic design should be seen as a form of reducing. Reducing all the information to the most essential information. And the process of this so called reducing is the job of the designer. He (or she) has to make sure that in the end the message will be well understood by the audience with as less information as possible. It could also be called ‘purifying the content’. But this process isn’t always that easy. People think - in my opinion wrongfully - that it is just a form of laziness. But I think it’s a way to create harmony and peace in a design. It may seem easy, but it (almost) never is.
    And the best thing about all this minimalistic designing, is that it can be easily remembered by the audience, just because of its clarity.
    Like I would say:
    Minimalistic design = creatively reducing to the essence.

  1. Stefan Oury & Gust Wera On December 21st, 2010 at 5:44 pm
    41

    First off all we would like to say that a designer needs to think in function of his design & information and not in function of a current mainstream. It’s our task to find a balance between aesthetic and functionality. Both are very important and cannot be ignored. What we are trying to say is that a design ofcourse needs to be beautiful and stand by itself but on the other hand we need to be sure that the information is communicated correctly. We can see that some of those minimalism designs out there combining those 2 elements are turned into a killer ad, design, site or whatever. It’s not the minimalistic style that make it so succesfull, it’s about combining all elements into a clever idea.

    Ofcourse some people will say that minimalistic art is a lazy and easy way. But if we look close at the art movement we’ll always see a counter movement. And that’s what’s art and design is all about, it’s the freedom of art and design. Whatever style you opt too use, just be sure that it’s in function of the content ur trying to communicate and not what the mainstream is.

    Stefan Oury
    Gust Wera
    3BA GO

  1. Yannick On December 21st, 2010 at 6:02 pm
    42

    Personally, I think that minimal design isn’t a sign of being lazy. This idea is just conceived by viewers when they don’t fully grasp the design.
    This could happen when the designers leaves out to much information.
    The design, however minimalistic, still has the function to transfer information to the viewers. In theory, if minimal design is done correctly, it could be even easier to understand then a normal design. You just need to find the perfect balance between function and design. I also feel that it isn’t possible to put a certain time on designing: sometimes the ideas
    flow and sometimes you’re just stuck.

  1. Tessa Evers & Hendrik Vanlessen On December 21st, 2010 at 8:07 pm
    43

    Minimalism handles most of the time about the “less is more” - attidude. In a certain way that works very well, but it depends on what you want to tell to the people who face or use your work. Sometimes there needs to be more chaos, more passion in designs, because they are often too clean and formal.
    For instance, a logo can be very basic, but also strong. As the saying goes: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. But on the other side is also has to be functional, readable and informative. We think the designer needs to know when he can or cannot use minimalism in his work. And it’s not a matter of being lazy but more rather to give a clean overview of the work being presented. It’s all about the concept and context, and this expresses itself in the result.

  1. Sarah Huysmans en Tasja Van Rymenant On December 22nd, 2010 at 4:06 am
    44

    When we, as students, first came in touch with the environment of minimalism, we thought it would open new doors to the world of design. Some people may think minimalistic design is about being lazy, but as students of the art, we know how hard it is to keep a design as ‘simple’ as possible. But there actually is a dark side when we think of minimalism. After discussing, we figured it wasn’t as handy as it looked in the beginning.

    When you are a minimalistic designer, we understand that you want to keep your work as smooth and minimalistic as possible. But as a designer, you owe the world a certain information or statement with your design: people watch it, analyse it. You can make things because they are beautiful, but when it concers business cards or commercials, you should think twice about your design. Some things just are necessary to say, even if it does mean there are more words the designer must use (for example; email at business cards).

    When it comes to commercials, some minimalistic commercials are very attractive, but the designer should first think about the audience: will the audience for the product actually understand this minimalistic design? Will they be attracted to it, or will they just ignore it? Because if they will ignore it, it comes to the point that the designer had an amazing minimalistic design, but the product will remain on the shelves in stores: too bad.

    Our conclusion on minimalistic design is probably cut down to the fact that you should think before you design. You should take into account that information that is actually necessary should be present for the purpose of the product., towards the audience.

    After all, maybe that is the challenge of a true minimalistic designer.

  1. Virginie On December 22nd, 2010 at 5:22 am
    45

    Minimalism, for me isn’t a sign of laziness, there’s just a lot of thinking before, it’s not easy for a designer with a minimum of materials to do say and do the same as another designer with multiple materials at his disposal, what i mean is in this case it isn’t easy to let the viewers understand what you are trying to say in your work.
    The basis of minimalism for me is pure simplicity. That you can return everything to its simplest form: nothing more, nothing less, pure basic, no extras.
    It is important to use less resources as possible to create a “relationship” to deal with the immediate environment and despite the still limited as a designer is to ensure that there is a whole arises. But just by a certain tension that arises in the design, creates a contrast with the environment.
    Decision: minimalism = shape in its essence. Its not a sign of laziness, but just an attempt to make a design characterized by simplicity and objectivity, and therefore the equipment and space have to speak for themselves. The designer has to think before he starts to create something.

  1. Brecht & Christophe On December 22nd, 2010 at 7:13 am
    46

    Minimalism is all about using elements minimally in a way they’re not stripped down to soulless items. Design doesn’t always have to be obvious or clear. Minimalistic design encourages people to stop and think about it, It tries to intrigue people at a higher level than merely the visual aspect.There has been put a lot of thought in the way elements should behave towards each other. A whole concept goes behind that. Although there are less elements than in other designs it doesn’t make it easier to create and doesn’t impute laziness. The art is to make something so strong and minimalistic but still very effective, it has got to have a specific meaning or purpose, otherwise it won’t stand up.

    Does design have to include lots of work to be good? If you can attract people by just a few elements, the message can be stronger. As a viewer you want to know what the message is. Like the business card, maybe you don’t get all the information by just watching it but you want to find out more about it. That’s the idea of the design, making people warm, inspire them, create interests, make them want to do something. Communicate. 

  1. Didier & Silke On December 22nd, 2010 at 7:50 am
    47

    In our opinion, minimalism is more of an art than just effortless design. It is an art to compose a design with only the essential elements. In minimal design, the important information, the essence, plays the most important role, decorative elements have been reduced to a minimum.
    As graphic designers, we know how hard it is to create a design with only the fundamental needs. A lot of thinking and sketching goes behind it. A strong design in this genre is everything but a work of laziness. This been said, what’s most important is the concept behind it, because that’s the standing ground of a succesfull design.

  1. JG On December 22nd, 2010 at 8:00 am
    48

    In this fast moving society people get flooded with information. Minimalism takes this overload of information to a level of necessity. When people get confronted with design that triggers them and get’s them thinking, it gives them a sense of satisfaction when they unravel it. A great example is the minimalistic print ad for LEGO. It gets you thinking, looking and wondering what it is and what it means. It makes you feel like a child again, exploring something new. I do agree that there are a lot of bad designs out there that take minimalism to a certain level of “laziness”. But when the concept and the design fit perfectly and the total work just feels right, there is no laziness, only good design.

  1. Roel On December 22nd, 2010 at 8:34 am
    49

    Minimalism is an art form… With art function isnt of that much importance. Now when art meets an item, like in business cards or websites it is just important to find a good balance between art and function. The artistic essence of something can be important, and this can hurt the functionality of the item, website,… . So if you bring the functionality down to much the item might get useless and unable to fulfill its purpose. But if you only focus on the functionality of an item, it could get boring and dull. The road in between is the way to go.
    To chose for a minimalistic style is just personal taste. You shouldn’t see it as lazy, minimalistic art is just what it is, an art style. The difficulty to make this art doesn’t play a role.

    Otten Roel
    3GO

  1. Lies en Lisa On December 22nd, 2010 at 8:56 am
    50

    We don’t think that minimalism design is being lazy. It is instead difficult to make something good with only the few essentiel elements. And it asks a lot of input to make a coherent unit.
    It’s easyer to throw some things together without thinking of the essence. While the point of minimalism is the essence. You also need to count in the focus group where you work for. For example, a card for a flowershop can’t be to minimalistic because its all about ornaments though a business card for a graphic design bureau asks for minimalism. Minimalism is also a way to tease people, for example for your business, because you have to think more about what you see.
    So our conclusion is that minimalism is not easy and definitely not being lazy. You need to think good about what you can leave behind when you want to make minimalistic design.

  1. Tom Truyens On December 22nd, 2010 at 9:14 am
    51

    Though I have accepted Minimalisme as an independant style, I think many designers use it as an easy excuse for doing minimal work. I acknowledge that Minimalisme has its uses. There are indeed cases in which you don’t need to use many details and whatnot because else you’d just wind up with a design that is completely filled up with unnecessary additions that will hurt your eyes and which will cause people to stop looking at your design. Another risk is losing the message you want to deliver in the midst of the chaos you created. But when you give a concept like Minimalisme (which basicly means “less is more” or “how to achieve much with little”) such a fancy name, people will quickly start using it as an excuse for doing little work. It’s kind of like using Dyslexia as an excuse to why a text you’ve written is full of errors: people use a scientific name to justify their laziness or inabilities.
    So, sometimes you can deliver your message through minimal design, and sometimes Minimalisme even works best for what you have in mind, though designers need to be carefull they don’t leave out too much information so people will still understand the message. But it’s too easy to use Minimalisme as an excuse for when you have little time or when you don’t feel like putting much work into something.

  1. Domas Sakalauskas en Johnny Baeten On December 22nd, 2010 at 10:49 am
    52

    Domas Sakalauskas en Johnny Baeten

    It’s not a trend and we’re not being lazy. Minimalism is a style, a way of communicating, a language of design like many others styles and you can’t compare one and another. I can understand that some people find minimalistic designs lazy, but they’re just not aware of the whole thinking process that’s behind the actual design. I also believe that a design can be more powerfull when there are less elements used, you can even leave out elements, it will incite the viewer even more to find what is missing in the picture. When designing, you just need the keep in mind: who/what’s the purpose and what’s the best way/style to make it happen. Sometimes it’s minimalism and sometimes it’s..?

  1. Rob On December 22nd, 2010 at 11:47 am
    53

    I think it all comes down to the designer. Like you said, some designers pass of a bad design as minimalism, while in fact the only thing minimalistic about it was the effort put into it. To be truly minimalistic, a design should be as readable as possible but deprived of unnecessary details. It takes a good designer to know which details are important and which can be left out. So I would say laziness is about the opposite of minimalism.

    About it being easy for novice web users, I’m not sure if it has that much to do with the site being minimalistic or not, to me it’s more important how well the site was designed, not the amount of details. It is all about quality, you can have a site with a lot of quantity or with very little but if the quality isn’t there, that doesn’t even matter.

  1. Justin On December 24th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
    54

    If desigenrs are following trends, then they are not designing. Minimalism is a design style that seems to be hot now, but trends come and go, good design should last for a while. I think if you go with a minimalist solution depends on the client and the target audience, not just because its cool, hip, or because everyone is doing it.

  1. Coleen Sosa On December 25th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
    55

    I think it all comes down to the designer. Like you said, some designers pass of a bad design as minimalism, while in fact the only thing minimalistic about it was the effort put into it. To be truly minimalistic, a design should be as readable as possible but deprived of unnecessary details. It takes a good designer to know which details are important and which can be left out. So I would say laziness is about the opposite of minimalism. About it being easy for novice web users, I’m not sure if it has that much to do with the site being minimalistic or not, to me it’s more important how well the site was designed, not the amount of details. It is all about quality, you can have a site with a lot of quantity or with very little but if the quality isn’t there, that doesn’t even matter.

  1. joe On December 28th, 2010 at 8:17 pm
    56

    Thank you for this article! I am a big fan of minimalist design, but I have to admit that it can come off as seeming a bit lazy at times. This article is really gonna change the way I interpret minimalist design from now on. I guess the essential part of minimalism is giving people what they need using as little as possible. This is one of my favorite examples of minimalist design:
    http://shrt.fm/gpoJhu

    I really really love what the architect did here

  1. Fix The Sky On January 2nd, 2011 at 6:55 am
    57

    I think, when done effectively, minimalism creates a sense of class and distinction. - It’s true that a lot of people don’t understand the design basics of typography and layout, and turn to minimalism as a way of masking that. But I find that it shows in their work.

  1. coolfunnytshirts.net On January 31st, 2011 at 5:11 am
    58

    i guess, at some level, inqusitivity in the design adds to the brand…

  1. Opt On February 5th, 2011 at 6:14 am
    59

    This article could have been a bit clearer in what constitutes “lazy” for design. Joseph Müller-Brockman was a genius because each design played off of the rule of thirds or the golden section in conveying what the musical pieces represented, since most posters he made were for the music performances, so there was thought behind it. Then to build the simple look still took a lot of time and patience, before computers.

    However, when Tropicana made new packaging that went off of minimalistic approach the entire fan base became enraged and wanted it back to the way it was. Just depends on the market and who you are selling to. Most of it is a crap shoot, and to call one genius with something that takes 10 seconds on the computer is to also maybe call them lazy, arrogant, had too much press, whatever.

  1. Dan bradley On March 1st, 2011 at 5:34 am
    60

    I am by no means a minimalist designer, but I do love the way minimalist designs look, if they are well done. Extremely clean and easy on your eyes. I am a very big fan of the look of that business cad, as well as the LEGO advertisment.

  1. Brett Widmann On March 8th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
    61

    I guess it could go both ways depending on the design or designer however minimal design can have a greater effect than a complex design.

  1. Jason Daniel On March 9th, 2011 at 5:57 am
    62

    I don’t think minimalism is lazy because you don’t really want to fill your home page with too much clutter and confuse the web user. I can also be a style choice if you like to dress in a simple and fashionable way, conservative and relevant or you like to dress wildly, too many colours and too many icons and everything is everywhere.

    Simplicity is very easy to understand and is more pleasing on the eye because I have seen websites that fill the home page with too many links and too many paragraphs and the rest of the pages are just repeating the same thing.

    Why do you have links for contact us or news if you are just going to put it on the home page and it defeats the point of having other web pages.

    I have seen many good examples with animation and a solid colour background for a home page but then when you click on the link, for example, About Us, it gives you a massive paragraph of information about company when it is necessary and when the web user needs it.

    Some web sites don’t like to hide features and information behind other web pages because they think web user will not see it or may forget to click on link.

  1. Good Design » Minimalism trend for 2011? On April 13th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
    63

    [...] As a trend, we are seeing a lot of new designs coming out following this idea.  In this article GraphicDesignBlog asks the question - Is it a trend or is it laziness? In conclusion, although minimalism looks [...]

  1. Bill Kenney On June 30th, 2011 at 9:19 pm
    64

    Interesting post, I actually just wrote a post complaining that we need to embrace the new minimal movement but we both touch on the same points. To focus on the goals and design accordingly. My post is called What the Fluff > http://focuslabllc.com/blog/what-the-fluff

  1. Simon On July 25th, 2011 at 2:54 pm
    65

    Hi

    I agree with less is more. I quickly click away from web sites that have been designed using every tool in the box (sensory overload).

    Some nice designs to make your point.

    Thanks

    Simon
    Colchester

  1. Mark Stryjewski On December 30th, 2011 at 3:49 am
    66

    I tend to lean towards the “lazy” theory. I feel some designers have forgotten the thrill of creativity, while just grasping at the dollar. What a shame!

  1. Simon On January 6th, 2012 at 9:29 am
    67

    I think there is definitely a place for uncluttered web design that quickly provides the end user with the information they are after (I quickly bounce off websites where the info I am looking for is too hard too find).

    Is it being lazy, not sure. Relies on the purpose of the website. If it only needs one page with 1 paragraph and a subscribe / buy button, that is all it needs.

    Simon

  1. Joshua Parkhurst On January 27th, 2012 at 2:30 pm
    68

    Minimalism and Laziness are two different things that can take place at the same time but don’t always. Good minimalism will be anything but lazy and it’s very easy to spot laziness in the form of “minimalism”.

  1. Singapore Web Design Company On February 4th, 2012 at 10:05 am
    69

    This article could have been a bit clearer in what constitutes “lazy” for design. Joseph Müller-Brockman was a genius because each design played off of the rule of thirds or the golden section in conveying what the musical pieces represented, since most posters he made were for the music performances, so there was thought behind it. Then to build the simple look still took a lot of time and patience, before computers

  1. Reeha@printer toners On February 26th, 2012 at 10:36 am
    70

    Great tutorial. I loves to read such comparison posts. through that post I get great ideal examples on minimalism and laziness.

  1. Ben On April 16th, 2012 at 5:37 pm
    71

    I don’t think minimalist design is lazy at all, it often requires more thought/design/time to make it really work well. I can see what you’re getting at. But that Lego ad for example, is simply stunning, and extremely clever. In an age where computers are taking over, parents are going to see that ad, and want to buy Lego for their kids, simply because they can see they are not using there imaginations like they used to.

    A minimalist ad done well can say so much more, than if the message is stated clearly.

  1. Supereye On October 24th, 2012 at 2:19 am
    72

    Great topic, I’m a fan of minimalistic design when it comes to industrial design, but graphic design is all about communication, and to do minimal well you still need to show all the important details, strip back as much as possible without losing the message or whats recognisable. Its lazy when all the equity is removed without thought.

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