What is Minimalist in a Complex Print ads?

Most ads usually don't make sense for people that seek not the sense within the ad. In advertising creatives hunt for the effectiveness of their ideas in order to send a message in the most simplest means, the complexity roll up when one has to find a method of making various aspect of the ad word together to send out one message.

Print ads don't have anybody to speak for them so as much important as it is to convey a particular message they need to speak for themselves. It becomes a vital focus to draw up a concept that will carry out the whole image and message, one out of various of the aspect that make up the ad needs to play as the harmonious area, which draws attention and also splits it to a variety of features within the ad, the unity brought in by that particular element then associates the similarities and characteristics to finding its main goal.

I have provided some ads that captured my attention as I tried to figure out what is complex about Minimalism.

A species in rapid decline, the African penguin needs help. South African advertising agency Bittersuite and SANCOOB

SANCCOB_2014

Basic colours were used to create the ad, what is minimalist about this ad is the upper row of penguins, after looking at the top raw I was interested in what is going on with the whole ad to the last penguin I then understood the concept of the whole ad. The shape that the all the penguin form contains everything reinforcing the movement created by the rhythm and repetition, the way the art work is structures is created implied lines and shapes.

The colors of the whole also stresses the point of the ad, White plays a role of life and Black plays the role of death in which the species are fading into. Minimalism in just two basic colours an awareness campaign made an impact, and making an impact means understanding and seeking for more Information.

SECRETS OF BRANDING | HISTORY TV18 Official Site

SECRETS OF BRANDING | HISTORY TV18 Official Site



Every Brand needs to be carried out in a efficient manner for it to be successful in various countries to various people of various cultures. How a Brand is sustained in one country differs from the other, so it is important to have enough knowledge about the market status and adupct to each of these market environment.

For a Brand to reach its global peak it needs to be relevant first for its local market, the response to the brand becomes its main promotion. How the brand is received will then tell whether or not it will be substantial globally.

Creative Brand Marketing

Creative: to encompass an aptitude power to create surface ideas characterized by originality and expressiveness.
Imagination (the process of forming images in the mind but cannot be seen) is a basic element of creativity. Creativity is the occurrence of an innovative valuable creation.

All points that emerge in defining the term creative, its evident that one cannot be designer if they are not creative. Originality follows the law of copyright, all creative people have the ability to be original, therefore the law of copyright applies to those who cannot realize the importance of originality and the effort that is invested in creative innovative concepts. When ideas arise the process of imagination transpire when a creative visualizes what and how the idea can become an effective design tool, when the visual image appeals then comes the end product through innovative various approaches.

Brand: a mark, symbol, name or any other aspect that can be used to identify or distinguish one product or services from the competitive establishments.
A range number of establishments provide the same services and products but how they are presented vary according to how each of the establishment would prefer to represent their business to the consumers. Symbol (an object that presents, stand for or suggests an idea, visual image, belief, action or material entity) that stands for a visual image, an action plan requires innovative ideas with focus amendments, meaning an original idea needs to go through the process of evaluation, criticism and be analysed. A creative's basic idea has never been prosperous if it had not been refined with elements that leave if appealing to the public. In order for the creative to be better understood and serve its purpose the creative person need to have done research on that particular brand.

Marketing: the methodology of communicating the value of a product or services to consumers for the purposes of selling. Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages or exchanging  information, Communication has various categories in which people can use but in the creative industry only three out of four most used communication categories are effectively utilized

• Verbal Communication: Creative  verbal communication is sharing information through the use of Speech, this type of communication in marketing requires effective strategy, and most importantly simplicity because it needs to be convincing and on point, the message from the service provider needs to be delivered apparently first hand, key messages must be developed in order to reach out to a specific target market.

Oral communication which is the spoken word, because now convincing falls under all types of communication that is for the purposes of bringing awareness to the public about an organisation or their offering, when one tries to convince another through a voice then the voice need to suite and be associated with its representation, every industry has a voice in which the public can easily relate. The volume, speech, use of phrases, pitch and speed gives the listener confidence on you and it leaves them thinking you know what you are talking about and you understand it well.

Clientèle Premium Life Plan - Legacy Of Love Female

The woman in this ad speaks with a high pitch voice that sounds professional and intelligent, with this type of an ad the view or the listener already can imagine what type of lady she is, she can classified by only her voice.

• None Verbal Communication: messages that are sent and received wordlessly, written communication provides as a creative's tool to encourage the public of a positive response requires unadorned type of messaging that get catches their attention, through sms, brochures, posters, email etc. This adds as a visual communication strategy that any designer can use to create a platform for the public to understand or be anxious to learn more about the products and services they are being offered. 

Outdoor advertising

http://intabamedia.co.za/?p=11

The ad is a three worded ad, that has various visual represented products that are offered by one company, from a distance I would understand that coca-cola offers all the products on the ad, the message simple accurate for people who normally have time to read clearly and understand. Image reveal one of the most significant creative brand communication tool, which is visual communication, images are represented to avoid endless written material that explain the product, an image contributes in simplifying the content that is supposed to be sent out and keeping it as brief as possible in a creative manner.

Colour has been used to contrast the elements within the images, providing a reasonable amount of visual balance that allows the eye to recognize every elements within the image as important, even in the lines created by the negative and positive space, the space within the image exhort variety of aspects emphasizing different qualities that create an effective visual appearance, the features subsequently depicting repetition.

Both this communication methods have areas in marketing in which they are effective and non effective. On a business deal a client would be keen to know all the details about a product or organisation they are about to invest in, yet a normal person will not have the time to study a poster in order to be keen to want to buy a product. On television, Radio and other mediums that require verbal communication one needs to be simple and straight forward even in writing.

Creative Brand Marketing requires a strategic approach which is updated to the best interest of the target audience.

Element of Design (Line)

The elements and principles of design all have a suggestion, so the focus of this post is basically on Line. Line is a visual element that depicts points, shapes, outline, etc. These lines come in various representation, they can either be dashed, solid, thick or thin.

One thing I reckoned when I looked at a Booklet Design by Tazrique Du Plessis from CumputAssist was that lines can suggest emotions and it is also vital to execute the manner I which you use your lines to harmonize the design and the images. The use of lines within the booklet are uniformed throughout, the approach he used was diagonal lines that ameliorate how the view perceive the images, because Line is a basic element of design there is use of other kinds of lines, namely horizontal, vertical and curvy lines however the diagonal lines become more perceptible because they are significant for the overall purpose of the booklet, which is to exhibit the company’s working environment. Looking at the use of lines here one can sense a friendly working environment that requires a lot of effort and dedication with a lot of movement going on. These lines are extensively working as directional forces that tally with each and every the image; also they form rectangular shape that always suggests a sort of movement.

The company policy prohibits us to upload the work online.

A product should sell through packaging (whether minimal or not)

Some of the posts in this blog states how minimalism has become a way for the lazy to create work in seconds, the reality is, there is no high-quality that does not go through conceptual process, that includes applying the elements and principles of design, making variety of your concepts, consulting with fellow designers; having to digest the criticism that comes with the consultation, at the end of the it’s all about the public, good execution also counts for a product to be appealing. By this I mean, securing an understanding that minimalism is not an easy way out of the process of conceptualized sense making ideas, ideas that support a brand and makes it more attractive, something that will draw the customer's eye on to the brand.

For the Archoitecher Ludwig Mies van der Rohe the term “less is more” did not mean cutting pasting information for the sake of selling as I would put in packaging design, his initial focal point was to produce a visual arrangement with the use of necessary components that will create an impression of extreme simplicity, every element he used was detailed and all in one they served various visual and functional purposes. This also sets an important insight for Graphic Designer who intend to use Minimalist element:

1.    Concept

2.    Elements and Principles of Design

3.    Consider you Target Market

4.    Weigh your product compared to its competitors etc

Those are just the basic important things that one should remember when designing a product for the mass.

As a Designer minimalism should always be brought to life through clean, simple fonts with high level of readability, a readable and pleasing arrangement of content it’s appealing and our eyes are familiar with this pattern, and we want items to line up in a predictable manner. Contrast is the best element to improve one’s design readability.


I can't say the same about this brand

Yes I reckon some minimalist elements, less information on the outside of the packaging, colour; only three colours were used which makes sense for including the necessary components. But that does not and has not made it an interesting minimalist packaging design, the two colours are not doing any design justice on each other, red on yellow makes no creative sense, more especially when it’s created without consideration of any elements and principles of design. This is a product that human beings should be considering buying to drink therefore it should in numerous features appear as something i shouldn’t be scare to drink. Packaging is the is a door of a product to the market therefore the product needs not to suggest the opposite of what they are trying to sell, as healthy as its suppose to be for one’s the same should be significant on the visual appearance.

 The red is standing out which can simply be recognized as warning sign. When I saw that brand I immediately thought it was an all purpose cleaning detergent, I saw the red as a their manner of suggesting how powerful and effective the product is on germs. Red on purple, two colours that are heavy and there is no form of contrast whatsoever, the purple makes the red look like its fading in.

Above and beyond all, the brand on its own looks very much like Lion matches packaging. So immediately it becomes scary to drink a product that is associated with a fire making product.

Designers take a chance to look at the brand and tell me what you think of these other packing designs of this brand.

year 2014 Minimalism

It's 2014 and minimalism still finds its way in my creative circle.

This is an interesting site i came across, its main focus are minimalist book covers

An Ethics Of Interrogation | Designer: Isaac Tobin

The Crow’s Vow| Designer: David Drummond

Columbine | Designer: Henry Sene Yee

http://www.youthedesigner.com/2013/03/11/minimalist-monday-50-awesome-minimalist-book-covers/

Making clear sense out of Minimalism

It is interesting how my fellow designers are using Minimalism unconsciously in various fields of design. Even when created in the conscious sense the design can be enormously effective resulting from the way the elements have been used.

The name of this minimal graphic design poster is based on the FridaKahlo, she is the lady who composed the idea behind this artwork. This art has some cultural effects and some genetic indications in it as well. In Frida two artists Joy and Frida explore incredible emotional conditions in it and create an environment that influenced with the help of their artwork.

For a person that knows the Movie FRIDA they would know and recognize what associates this poster with the movie which is the mail character, as her facial features are shows and they are. 

Kahlo's life began and ended in Mexico City, in her home known as the Blue House. She gave her birth date as July 7, 1910, but her birth certificate shows July 6, 1907. Kahlo had allegedly wanted the year of her birth to coincide with the year of the beginning of theMexican revolution so that her life would begin with the birth of modern Mexico. Her work has been celebrated in Mexico as emblematic of national and indigenous tradition, and by feminists for its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form (wikipidia-maxoco portal)

PEACE.Sibusiso Lukhele.Digital Image.2012

This image was taken by my fellow student Sibusiso Lukhele he posted it on 75 a photography site were photographers post their work to and the photos are reviewed by other photographers, he did not mention anything about Minimalism within the the evaluation of the photo, even when i asked him about the thought behind it he never said it was a Minimalism based photo with so much Minimalism elements evident. The image poses a peaceful weather and atmosphere and one can conclude is a peaceful image because of the three pigeon.

what do you think?