Minimalism isn't about purchasing minimalist products.
Minimalism isn't about purchasing minimalist products.
Mastodon post transcription:
kasran, fourier transfemme @typhlosion@awoo.space
minimalism is a scam invented by big small to sell more less
October 29, 2023 at 10:23 PM · 13 replies · 290 reblogs · 425 favorites
Yes, but sometimes it's designers masturbating over their own genius. Like why does UI have to be so flattened that it's confusing to determine what is interactive and what isn't (among other issues)?
Lol as someone who does mostly UI dev and works w/ designers daily, this one hits home. Some of em really get it. And when they do it right, it can be amazing. Others... Not so much. Minimalism in UI should emphasize simplicity and ease of access, but like anything else, people go overboard and bring the worst out of it.
What, you need a fat UI framework?
The problem with things like minimalism is that what it's about is ambiguous enough that it can be turned into a kind of status symbol thing where wealth and privilege can buy higher status. So what about money-bad-ism? Just try to earn and spend less money. The lower your personal GDP, the better. Hard to turn that into a roundabout form of consumerism.
Nothing more minimalist than ripping out an entire kitchen because the cabinets were from the 90's. The cabinets can work perfectly and there could be no reason other than aesthetics.
Yall got any more of those lesses?
Had to clear them out to make room for less of the mores.
That's trickle down lessonomics bwoi
As a minimalist myself, yeah but it depends what you mean by minimalism. To me, minimalism is buying the bare minimum, nothing too fancy and saving money that way instead of indulging in luxuries or unnecessary treats or whatever. It's basically just owning less and saving money while doing it.
Companies being like "yes we are gonna sell you minimalism" using aesthetics or specific "minimalist" marketing is not minimalism, it's just a trap for trend chasers.
I have trust issues when it comes to minimalism. Are you telling me you have no nicknacks? Am I going to get thrown in the trash if I place a coaster on your table?
Just create some organized chaos on a shelf or something so I feel sane.
Also seems to stem from a lack of knowledge on Color theory
Minimalism is the antithesis to clutter.
A coaster does not necessarily violate minimalism, but true minimalism would not need a coaster because surfaces would not be harmed by a drink with condensation. So if your coffee table was wood, a coaster is compliant but a glass/concrete/polymer coffee table or putting a glass pane on top of the wood coffee table is better. The coaster is unnecessary because the entire table is a coaster.
People who use knickknacks as decoration have a need to fill space just for the sake of having something there. Minimalism does not create an unnecessary space to be filled. Putting tables/shelves/bookcases with no purpose but to fill a space is not minimalism. Having a table to put a lamp on, a shelf to hold plants, or a bookcase filled with books can be minimalist. Buying a table to put in a "vacant" space next to the bookcase so you have a place to put a ceramic chicken you saw at a resale shop is clutter and not minimalist.
Lack of color is a "minimalist" interior design concept trend. Minimalism is not inherently nothing but white, black, and grey. You can have a minimalist space that has every color of the rainbow. Purple walls, blue area rug, red coffe table, yellow lamps, orange couch, and green plants would all fall under minimalism but the indigo sign that says "family" violates the core concept of minimalism.
People who use knickknacks as decoration have a need to fill space just for the sake of having something there.
This is a conflict of idea, you're suggesting buying nick nack's to fill space whereas my suggestion for buying nick nacks is because I like them. There is a difference between finding objects to fill space and finding space to hold objects.
Obviously to extremes this can be seen as hoarding nature so it's not without its issues but in general many minimalist styles I've seen don't truly follow this philosophy. Often you find a coffee table that holds one item, but the item is not needed for the room, a coffee table is just a staple of living room design. On another side you will often see throw cushions and rugs in these design but they hold no intrinsic value other then pulling a room together
A coaster does not necessarily violate minimalism, but true minimalism would not need a coaster because surfaces would not be harmed by a drink with condensation.
Your variety of minimalism means people don't buy nice things, which is bad because nice things last longer. Plastic chemically decays, sometimes in harmful ways, whereas wood is a long-term investment if you maintain it properly.