IdN v17n6: Minimalism Issue — When Less is Truly More
Overloaded design can be both boring and distracting, while minimalism’s ability to cut to the chase gives it a decided commercial edge. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry defined the style as being “not when there is nothing more to add, but when there’s nothing left to take away”. Let these minimalist specialists tell you how they make their crucial reductive decisions..
Contents:
The Magic of MV: The mad, mad world of music + motion
Minimalism: When Less is Truly More
Sweden: Like a breath of fresh forest air
Exhibition: Spotlight on a reclusive rebel
Pick of the Month
Specifications:
102 pages
6 varying paper stocks
4C process + silver, spot UV
99 minutes DVD Video included
The Magic of MV
Alternative Music / Quirky Video
Ever since Michael Jackson's Thriller thrilled the world, the music video has been our preferred way of enjoying music with visuals. Long gone are the days when groups simply stood and mimed amid a miscellany of mood scenery. The MV has become a playground for promising young directors to cut their teeth on mini-movies. And many have indeed gone on to greater things. But the discipline of that three-to-five minutes storyline still acts a bit like the old 78rpm formula did for musicians of the past removing any room for padding and forcing the makers to be at their most creative, saying as much as they can in a limited time-frame. It is a good habit to get into. But how and why do today's generation of MV-makers do it? We open the doors into the minds of some of the best in the business.
When Less is Truly More
Classic example of "less is more"
Squeezing as many elements as possible into a design or artwork doesn't always make them more interesting. Many would argue that too much detail can become overwhelming and detract from the viewers focus. Hence, minimalist design wherein all the superfluous components have been stripped away, leaving only the essentials.
But minimalism is a lot more than just clean, simple, functional, using only a two-colour palette and a basic grid. Clients, and sometimes viewers, too, have a tendency to under-rate the amount of work that goes into a minimalist piece, being unaware of the many hours it often takes to decide what to put in and what to leave out for maximum impact. Here, 11 top exponents of the style tell you how it is done.
Featuring:
Toby Edwards | Exergian | Recovering Lazyholic | Ty Lettau | Almost Modern | Jamie Mitchell | Jason Munn | Simon C Page | Andy Penny | Sawdust | ZMIK
Creative Country: Sweden
Like a breath of fresh forest air
Sweden has always been famous for its unfussy, functional design style, especially when it comes to furniture and architecture. But do the same strict rules that so captivated the world half a century ago still apply? Or has the instant interactivity of the Internet stripped Swedish designers of their national identity? We think you'll be surprised by the answers arrived at by our 13 featured artists. And delighted by the examples of their work.
With his subversive revolt against power-dressing, Belgian designer Martin Margiela became one of the most influential fashion designers of the last 20 years. As a tribute to his two decades of breaking moulds, Somerset House has taken Maison Martin Margiela "20" The Exhibition and reconfigured it to fit the London space, following successful showings at Antwerp's MoMu and the Haus der Kunst in Munich. We have an exclusive interview with this famously self-effacing man, who explains the thinking behind his controversial clothing lines.