Who Started Minimalism in Graphic Design?

Minimalism in graphic design has become one of the most popular design styles in recent years. It’s a style that is characterized by simple, clean designs that focus on the essential elements of an image or layout.

While minimalism has been used in various forms of art and design since the early 20th century, its influence on graphic design is relatively recent.

The modern minimalist style of graphic design originated with Swiss designers in the 1950s and 1960s. This new style was a reaction against the ornate, detail-oriented Art Nouveau movement that had been popular in Europe during this time. Swiss designers sought to create a simpler, more modern aesthetic that focused on clear lines and shapes rather than ornate patterns.

Swiss designers such as Josef Muller-Brockmann, Armin Hofmann and Karl Gerstner developed the principles of minimalism for graphic design during this period. They wanted to create designs that were elegant yet functional and easy to read. They also embraced asymmetry and encouraged their students to experiment with negative space and grids.

The Swiss style of minimalism had a huge influence on graphic design over the next few decades. In the 1970s, Japanese designers such as Ikko Tanaka began to incorporate minimalist design principles into their work as well. This led to a more stripped-down aesthetic that emphasized simplicity and clarity.

By the 1980s, minimalism had become an established style in graphic design. It was embraced by many leading designers such as Paula Scher, Milton Glaser and Paul Rand who all incorporated minimalist principles into their work.

Conclusion:

It is clear that while minimalism has been used in various forms of art since early 20th century, it was Swiss designers from 1950s-1960s who started modern minimalist style for graphic design which later gained popularity with Japanese designers from 1970s onwards and finally became an established style by 1980s with many leading designers embracing it for their work.