Simplicity is key when you desire to get your message across to a large amount of people.
There are countless possible routes that can lead a brand to its potential of success. Visual branding will almost always be a crucial factor whether we admit it or not. This entails any part of the brand that consumers can see such as your logo, packaging and even the product itself. If you have found yourself drawn to a more clean and simple aesthetic you may want to consider going minimal. More often than not that can go beyond just visual branding such as an ethical tactic like attempting minimal waste and minimal preservatives in your ingredients. If simplicity is something that you are keen on, this piece may help guide you through a few reasons for it being a good choice and how you can utilize it within your brand.
It’s Current
Minimalism in itself is not a new concept with it originating in the New York art scene during the late 1950s. That being said, it has come to be a significant trend with millennials and generation z. The trend has appeared to blossom alongside their interest in wellbeing and a more eco-friendly way of life. The movement has many benefits in many areas which can absolutely be used to your brand’s advantage, especially if millennials are your target audience. Branding is about creating a certain feeling within the consumer; keeping the aesthetic clean and simple can make the brand appear more professional which might provide the consumer with an impression of higher quality.
Ingredients
The general awareness of the newer generations is spreading throughout multiple areas of modern-day life which unsurprisingly includes the beauty industry. A fair amount of consumers are becoming more interested in what is being put into their products. Reading the ingredients section on a product can be so overwhelming even for someone who does want to know. Some of these lists are absolutely endless and many of the ingredients are not fully healthy or safe. Simplifying the mixture by dismissing harmful ingredients that do not benefit the skin’s health will not go unnoticed; having fewer ingredients will be appreciated by the many consumers who have a growing interest in reading the product which will build their trust. The ordinary is a good example of a minimalistic approach in terms of ingredients. They use fewer ingredients to ensure that everything in the product has a skin-beneficial purpose. There is a huge gap in the market because, despite the interest, so few brands are doing it!
It will define your message
The goal of minimalism is to focus on that which we want and let go of anything that does not need to be there. This will naturally work to emphasize the center details of your packaging that otherwise may go unnoticed. The main point of attraction whether that is a picture or font, or your overall message, can be extremely unique and interesting, and minimalism can be used as a tool to carry it across clearly. Let’s take a look at Glossier for example; If you notice in the picture, the splash of color close to the lid and subtle title on the products are not over complicated features but due to the rest of the packaging and color scheme being so simple, they stand out well.
Remembering the never-ending selection of products that we are constantly being exposed to can have quite an unsettling effect on the mind whereas something that looks simple and clean has a high chance of standing out within the chaos of options.
Can you think of a time you were attracted to a product because of its super clean and simple design?
