Despite (or maybe because of…) February’s gloom, we still find ourselves drawn back to 2024’s “Brat Summer” and the bold, minimalist aesthetic that came with it. The artist at the centre of the movement, Charli XCX inspired a move towards simplicity and just letting things go. The music was great (helpful) but the design was even better. So what does this mean for brands?
Why innovative design matters
Music sales and listens may be largely digital but good design is still essential to sales. Designed by Brent David Freaney, Charli XCX ‘s album cover, in a zesty lime green with blunt, black text illustrated the benefits of not over complicating things. The stripped back nature of the design suggests that in a complex world, our art can resonate more strongly by being simple.
Freaney’s design shows that strong colour and statement can shift the dial. Instantly recognisable, the album cover has inspired a swathe of companies to follow suit and utilise bold text with strong colour to reshape their brand.
This swing to a bold minimalistic look has significant benefits for brands. It focuses the marketing mind. It’s never easy to encapsulate your message in a single word accompanied by a colour but when trying to do so you really need to dig deep into the essence of who you are and what you offer. It also narrows the visual field, no more meetings to discuss myriad details. The designer has a straightforward brief: Simple and striking.
It’s important to keep evolving
We are now seeing brands that have the confidence to offer stripped back messaging and it’s working, consumers are stopping and taking notice. For now at least… Any push to be part of the zeitgeist does have its drawbacks. Good design is often copied. As soon as everyone else catches on, your approach can start to blend in with a sea of other similar designs.
This, of course, is the drawback to any trend but even so, this is a style I’d be happy to see stick around for a while. Bring on the zingy greens and shocking yellows with the word CREATIVE strapped across it!
To add, whilst we’re loving bold minimalism that doesn’t stop us looking elsewhere for our inspiration. It’s not right for every brand and that’s what’s great about our industry, we get to play with trends. We lean into them when they work and we hold back when a different approach is required.
Ibby – Creative Manager
If you want advice about how and when you can use design trends in your communications, get in touch for more information.
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