Minimalism in design—insights from Design Shanghai

At Design Shanghai, a leading international design event, Avery Dennison designer Sunny Lee got an in-depth look at top design trends. Between the five halls at the show—Contemporary, Classic and Luxury, Collectibles, Kitchen and Bathroom, and Workplace—she saw a few common threads.

One was natural elements—a theme we explored in Nature in design—insights from Design Shanghai. Another was minimalism.

To a consumer, minimalist design may look simple. But for a designer, it’s anything but. The question of aesthetic quickly becomes blended with consumer / brand interaction. What information does the consumer need to know? How can you convey that in the simplest way possible?

The idea of minimalism in label and packaging design isn’t new. But with a renewed industry focus on sustainability and innovation, the minimalist trend was a popular one at Design Shanghai—and one that we’ll continue to see front and center for a while, according to Sunny.

“Minimalism in packaging and label design may sound cliché, but it allows the expression of core information without the unnecessary embellishments that can distract consumers. Minimalism has gained popularity in Asia among designers and consumers in recent years. I think it’s something we’ll continue to see continue to grow in relevance and importance in the near future,” she says.

Minimalist design elements keeps things simple
“The idea of minimalism is often illustrated with basic design elements such as line, shape, color, typography, and simple graphics, rather than complicated or cluttered ones—which can distract consumers from the true brand message,” says Sunny. The minimalist approach doesn’t mean the absence of design, according to her. Instead, minimalist design allows for a concise brand message and a clear and straightforward delivery, like we see in the Lokales Vasser design.

“Minimalist design also does not mean boring,” she says. It actually allows a label to be eye-catching, and stand out on the shelf. But how does minimalist design win when it competes with other leading design trends? ”Premium label material, bold typography, a color palette full of contrast, and minimal label copy were popular at Design Shanghai,” she says.