“Does it Bring You JOY! NO? GET RID OF IT!” – Marie Kondo (2011 I think).
I’ve always been interested in color and what the societal messages around color are. While following the minimalist trend as an outsider for a few years, I’ve been intrigued by the messaging around “minimalist” aesthetic, color, and “high-culture”. My thoughts are fully formed on it yet, but I find it interesting how when you search through google images for minimalism you’re bombarded with white, cream, and other variations of off-white tones. It reminded me of an article I read a few years back about the coloniality in design. Minimalism has taken off in pop-culture as a revered aesthetic and it’s interesting to me how this cultural status/marker is so tied to these colors. It makes me wonder about the imbued notions of white purity in our language and how it transfers to design. Things to think about.
Personally, I’m no minimalist — I need some color in my life 🙂
The following article is not the same as the one I mentioned, but goes on about decoloniality and design: https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/what-does-it-mean-to-decolonize-design/
DSGN 264-401 | Fall 2020 