Okay, there are some minimalist extremists out there who believe that color distracts from the form of something and shouldn’t be included in minimalist designs. If this is you, stop reading… Just kidding, keep reading, maybe I will convince you. On the other hand we have color theory which says that color influences our moods and physic, which means that it could be used to enhance the form of a piece because it displays the emotion that the artist desires to portray. So should we keep or kill the color? Is it fair to consider something as minimalist if it has color involved?
Yes. Heavens to Betsy yes! Especially from a web designer’s point of view, I think color is a key element in your minimalist design. Why? Because color aids dramatically in the fuinki (pronounced Fu-ee-n-key = Mood or atmosphere in Japanese, I think it sounds cooler) of your website. You can still keep a website beautifully simple and minimalistic and use color to set the tone, or vibrancy of the site.
Here is an example in the retail world of color that aids function… Look at Ikea. Their magazines and store layouts are beautifully simple and easy to understand at a quick glance. That is because they use minimalistic design principles with lots of white space, geometric shapes and grids and the like. Yet Ikea uses two main colors to brand their company: yellow and blue.
There was definitely plenty of thought put into what colors Ikea wanted to use for their brand. I can just imagine the think tank where this idea came about… “Most of our furniture is minimalistic so we should use just black and white for our brand,” says one snobbish fellow. “Um, if we did that wouldn’t everyone think our product is only for the high class and assume we were too expensive?” says the voice of reason in the room. “How about we use yellow and blue?” says the designer. “Yeah, yellow and blue! Those colors will appeal to a wide audience and emphasize how happy our product will make them,” says the marketer. “Oh poohy,” says the snobbish one. Ten years later, Ikea is a world wide super brand. Imagine if they had gone with black and white. Would you have thought about buying something from them?
As the marketer pointed out those colors do tend to make us happy. But there are also other feelings we associate with yellow and blue that are essential in this application. The bright sunshine yellow is known to boost creativity and productivity, and blue is known for its calming and relaxing ability. What better colors to have in an interior design, and for a interior design store. Blue and yellow aid the design and function of Ikea, because they represent the main functions of the product. Here is a link to their spring Catalog if you would like to see what I mean.
In the more traditional art side of things, I direct your attention to well known minimalist designer Anne Truitt. She was known for painting wooden geometric shapes with bold colors. The Smithsonian has collected several interviews with different artists of different times. Here is a snippet of one of the interviews done with Anne Truitt in her later years.
Anne was previously talking about the time she spent in Maryland and had mentioned that she loved the colors, so Ms. Bayly (the interviewer) followed up with this question…
Q: What were the colors like? A: …I was very interested in nuance then [referring to the colors]. Q: How would you describe the nuance of the colors, or even just the colors, in Asheville? A: Just great big blocks of color. You know, I’m blind as a bat if I take my glasses off… so I’d just see big blocks of color. And then I’d watch the clouds go over the mountains. And then I used to practice. (source: Oral history interview with Anne Truitt, 2002 April-August, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution)
Anne Truitt takes those blocks of color and recreates them in her pieces. Notice that she was focused on the nuance of the color. That is arguably the singular reason why colors can be used in a minimalistic design. All colors have nuance, or meaning, which when used correctly will enhance the functionality and the form of the design.
So yes, color can be used in minimalistic designs for any medium. Color has a purpose and so should be included. Keep the Color!
Part 2: Kill the Color! Coming soon! Subscribe in the About page to keep updated.
