Emptiness as Potential

Kyle Chayka believes minimalism has a much more entrenched meaning than living with few possessions and explores this in his book, The Longing for Less: Living with Minimalism (2020) He says, “minimalism is about seeking unmediated experiences, giving up control instead of imposing it, paying attention to what's around you without barricading yourself, and accepting ambiguity, understanding that opposites can be part of the same whole.” In other words, Chayka believes minimalism is not an answer to life’s problems but can provide an expansion of perspectives, encouraging one to challenge deep-set beliefs in order to accept things as they are.

Similarly to Chayka, Kenya Hara explores what we know as minimalism however refers to the idea as emptiness. “Emptiness provides a space within which our imaginations can run free, vastly enriching our powers of perception and our mutual comprehension. Emptiness is this potential.” An example of effective emptiness in use is Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion. “Mies understood his pavilion simply as a building and nothing more, it would not house art or sculpture rather the pavilion would be a place of tranquility and escape from the exposition, in effect transforming the pavilion into an inhabitable sculpture.” says Kroll. Today the Barcelona Pavilion is open daily and can be seen in the same location as in 1929. Mies’ avoidance of any superfluous elements in order to insight tranquility portrays minimalism’s ability to elicit an appreciation for empty space.

“simplicity provides clarity, which is an increasingly important consideration for graphic designers and communicators.”

Author of Min: The New Simplicity In Graphic Design (2016) Stuart Tolley says, “simplicity provides clarity, which is an increasingly important consideration for graphic designers and communicators.” Additionally he believes, “A timeless and considered approach to graphic design won’t date over time, unlike reflecting trends, which have the tendency to date quickly.” A designer who’s work has stood the test of time is that of Paul Rand who asserted the purpose of design is “to simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatise, to persuade, and perhaps even to amuse.” Rand was influenced by the Bauhaus and Swiss Style movements and was convinced that the strength of graphic design lies in its ability to be a universal language, he said, “one quickly realises that simplicity and geometry are the language of timelessness and universality.” 

As suggested by the work of Mies and Rand, the removal of elements, or minimalism, can provide opportunities for further potential. As best described by Hara, “The mechanism of communication is activated when we look at an empty vessel, not as a negative state, but in terms of its capability to be filled with something.”