Are Brands Leaning Towards Minimalism to be in Sync with Times to Come? The latter half of the 2010s, saw minimalist, and thought-provoking designs dominate the digital space

At the turn of the new decade, the advertising and marketing sector is gearing up for a fresh start. In the ever evolving world of design, fresh and out-of-the-box ideas, as well as novel approach to advertising and conveying a message is the need of the hour. So as we move from the 2010s to the 2020s, one of the biggest takeaways is that less is more, and that minimalism will dominate the design space.

The use of minimalism has already begun to find favour among advertisers and brands alike. The latter half of the 2010s, saw minimalist, and thought-provoking designs dominate the digital space, and globally renowned designers are already betting big on this. A leading Industrial designer Dieter Rams, from Germany closely associated with the consumer products company Braun, was quoted saying, "Good design is as little design as possible—less, but better."

By minimalist design, we are looking at an aesthetic choice of basic design bereft of elaborate attachments and any superfluous element, colour, shape or texture. The idea of minimalist design is to allow the content to stand out and take centre-stage and be the focal point. Minimalist design is very appealing visually, as it tends to have a calming effect and forces the mind to focus on the basics.

The minimalist approach to design made in-roads in the print medium first and moved on to the industrial sector. Its principles also found favour in the digital side as well.

There has been an increase in content being broken down into a more user-friendly hierarchy, making it easier to read, as well as relevant. Having said that, it is important to note, that irrespective of the medium thought-provoking, coupled with the evolving discipline of UX design, will serve as a powerful tool for graphic designers to help audiences navigate content. One of the main advantages of thought-provoking designs, minimalistic designs, is that it allows users to interact with the interface with ease and find what they are looking for in a product or message.

From a consumer point of view, minimalist design will certainly go a long way in helping your brand gain their attention. Take, for example, HDFC Bank, one of the largest Banks in India, and a brand that has aced their advertising game. While they were painting the town yellow with the recent campaign during the festive season, what gained the attention of the audience is how subtly and smartly they plugged in the campaign messaging with a series of minimal creatives while keeping the essence of the festive communication alive.

The 2010s have definitely been a decade where we have seen some of the best of advertising. The resulting growth of brands has pushed creative agencies to take bigger risks, and experiment with different styles. While this might seem intimidating for some, the minimalistic route, when approached thoughtfully can open many doors to success.