After reading this article from Slice Marketing about the rise of minimalism in graphic design, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I actually feel about the trend, and honestly, I’m not sure how to feel about it anymore.
Minimalism has been dominant for years: clean lines, simple shapes, muted colors, lots of white space. It’s praised for clarity and sophistication, and while I really appreciate it for it’s simplicity and promotion of better accessibility, I also think it can make designs feel cold or generic. Sometimes it strips away too much personality in the name of simplicity.
I’ve realized I’m more drawn to visuals that feel alive, ones that use texture, pattern, and expressive color to create warmth and individuality. Even in my current Illustrator project (a wordless book about introducing a Kong toy to a puppy), I’ve found that rhythm, shape, and pattern make the visuals more engaging without losing clarity.
Reading that article made me realize that clarity doesn’t have to mean minimal. I think design can be simple and expressive at the same time and that’s the balance I want to explore in my own work.
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