While art lovers have often experimented with various designs and new forms of artwork, maximalism as an artistic movement has been present since post-modern times. However, in recent times, there’s been a noticeable shift in graphic design towards fully minimalistic designs, a style embraced by brands, artists, and the wider audience. Yet, design preferences can evolve, and currently, maximalism is emerging as the new trend.
With maximalism becoming the “it” factor in the graphic design world, both brands and businesses are moving away from conventional design principles. They are embracing the concept of expressing the maximum. In the following, we’ll explore how maximalism is inspiring designers globally and provide tips on incorporating maximalism into your design projects, workspace, brand presentations, and more.
A Brief History of Chaotic Maximalism
Maximalism emerged as a reaction within the post-modern movement unfolding in the 20th century. While modernism focused on experimenting with new design principles, postmodernists sought to disrupt the rigid principles upheld by modernism. Postmodernism challenged the established notions of design rules, choosing to embrace the diversity of art and individual expression.
In the mid-1990s, the predominant contemporary design focus shifted towards incorporating tactile experiences, introducing elements such as radio buttons and textures like wood and plastic. This approach aims to immediately connect users through a sense of physicality and is known as skeuomorphism. Minimalism, emerging as a counterpoint to skeuomorphism’s complex approach to web design, sought to strip things down to fundamental components, offering a simple and clean user experience. This movement emphasized straight lines, ample negative space, grids, and clean fonts to evoke a sense of cohesion. While minimalism provided a refreshing balance in design ideas, it was criticized for being bland and adhering to rigid rules.
In response, creatives began incorporating elements from various digital product design styles, eras, and cultures, resulting in unique designs that questioned conventional regulations. Maximalism then emerged, celebrating the chaos of colors, patterns, and other visual elements. This art form creates a vibrant and dynamic visual experience for viewers, drawing inspiration from various graphic movements.
Maximalism versus Minimalism
Minimalism designs are meticulously crafted with obsessive attention to clean lines and every pixel. The layout of minimalistic designs is highly structured, ensuring that every element, image, and piece of content has its designated place and purpose. There is nothing out of order, and distracting elements are intentionally omitted. Minimalist designs are easy, clean, and simple for viewers to understand the ideas behind the design. Graphic designers, brands, and businesses adore minimalism, as it elevates graphic simplicity for creative expression.
Typically, minimalistic designs incorporate straight lines, a significant amount of negative space, and a minimal visual theme. They do not aim to evoke a strong sense of emotion but rather guide the viewer through the purpose of the design, avoiding unnecessary distractions.