Ordinary people tend to think of minimalism as a type of rare artistic concept or process. But what they usually do not realize without deeper reflection is the fact that minimalism has touched every intrinsic aspect of arts that means a whole great deal to modern civilization. In the area of literature, minimalism has been first famously featured in the several masterpiece literary works of Ernest Hemmingway (Hills like White Elephants) and Stephen Crane (Red Badge of Courage). Architecture is also the subject of constant usage of minimalist concepts, many of which are evident in post-modern Bauhaus buildings of Germany and Israel. The same holds true in visual arts, but it is exactly in this particular area where the practical use of minimalism evolves further in time. In the competitive business of graphic design, from Great Neck New York to Cape Town Johannesburg, minimalism is the name that defines good art and all progressive areas in the world know it.
It is not an understatement at the very least to say that minimalist art is the global standard of graphic design industry. If one would observe more keenly, almost all company logos and mastheads are conceived via application of abstract minimalism. But even before modern times, minimalism has defined the imagery used by every powerful organization or movement known in history. Christianity, no doubt, uses one of the earliest minimalist graphic designs to identify them before the world. These images involved a crucifix, a staurogram, or the icthys fish icon. Another of the much earlier movement to have used minimalist insignia is the Athenian intellectual factions with the proverbial Pythagorean Triangle. In Asia, Buddhism carved themselves in the collective memories of the people with the image of a wheel and in the Mediterranean region, the crescent moon symbolized Islam. One of the most notorious minimalist symbols to have existed was the Freemason emblem of the “All Seeing Eye” – an eye in a middle of a symmetrical triangle. With these examples, history taught us that simplistic minimalist images are powerful because the people behind the group they represent were meant to be remembered easily. A visionary group, whether they are political, commercial or media, would definitely choose a logo that is simple but unique altogether.
Such a trend has never changed even in the Information Age. Competitive industries of graphic design like that in Great Neck NY are only after simple but catchy emblems. People would rarely notice the fact that many of the very influential companies and groups make use of minimalist emblems. Al Jazeera news media has one of the examples of very clever complex minimalist designs that made use of symmetrical curving Arabic glyphs. Microsoft Windows and Mackintosh is the same on that regard. No doubt every motion picture productions follow the same trend. Thus, minimalism truly sets the standards for catchy abstract emblem behind a promising group.
