ABD - Minimalism or Maximalism

The designs of the big brands tended to be dominated by logos, brand names, and product titles, with many vibrant colours. The smaller brands were much the same, but comparatively more minimal. For ABD to stand out, the brand needs to be unique and recognisable other than just as another name on the shelf. This leads me to consider what is and isn’t necessary to include. As long as our product is noticed, is recognised, and stands out (as well as selling well), then the brief is fulfilled. We may not even need to use a logo. No prominent logo, name, or anything else other companies are using. However, doing exclusively that would be almost suicidal for the brand. We can’t just strip away everything that a consumer uses to identify a product and expect ABD to now have extremely identifiable products. That could end a few ways, none positive. ABD could end up looking like a cheap own brand product, or it could just end up far too minimalistic. Minimalism isn’t inherently bad, but it doesn’t stand out anymore. It isn’t new or revolutionary, and it’s used in many brands. However, I have an idea for a design ethos that will help ABD stand out far more. Essentially, create an initial minimalist design that strips away any unnecessary details, focussing only on the essentials. Simple colour, no patterning, no images. Go as minimal as possible and leave as much room free. Then, distort that minimalism. Add colour and pattern and fill out every empty space. Not with logos, slogans, and names, but with something genuinely unique and eye-catching. This way, ABD can maintain a fully unique packaging that will be unlike anything else on the shelf, without creating any ambiguity about what our brand is. This also coincides with our target demographic; out of the ordinary, standing out among a crowd, risk taking. To put it simply, we strip an ordinary design down to its absolute minimum, and then rebuild on that, working from the ground up to do it completely differently. Building maximalism from a minimalist framework.

This image is a good representation of the style I’m trying to be evocative of. It’s in some ways minimalist, and in others maximalist. Only a logo displayed on it, no additional information, and yet the design is busy and complex.