Vlog #43 - The Rise of Minimalism 

*subtly displays degree from BU*

Minimalism = the most efficient communication of 'signal' in relation to 'noise'

Love this guy where were you all my life?

"That's not minimalis- oh right. This is a 2012 video." -2016-

It is the most efficient form of design right now since we are constantly being flooded by info. The importance of white space and content allows the viewer a moment of peace to collect a good amount of information without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. It's nice :D

It is also possible that reductionism, i.e reducing things down to more ostensibly simple forms, appeals to the psyche because it allow us to feel in control over things perceived as simple enough for us to grasp fully. It is this same desire to dominate and control our surroundings and things we interact with that attracts us to art, architecture and other relatively simplistic patterns in comparison to the overwhelmingly complex patterns found in all aspects of nature. Why are we so overwhelmed by complexity? Probably because we only gradually become aware of it. As children, our perception is automatically limited to what we focus on. As we age and mature, we focus on more things, gain cognitive ability, and begin to fill up our consciousness with all sorts of entities both actual representations of external objects and phenomena and (quasi)fictional constructs of social/organizational life and fictional/artistic creations (i.e. media). As all these forms build up within our consciousness, we seek to transcend the complexity by either blocking it out in favor of something simpler, or simplifying/reducing it into explanations/generalizations that allow us to lump lots of complex information into simpler categories. Throughout this developmental process of learning to deal with complexity in various ways, we gain the ability to deal with complexity and the urge to escape it by fleeing into minimalism/reductivism subsides. We begin to see how complex patterns often boil down into simply-comprehensible fundamental mechanics, like the way electrons and protons form the basis for most all matter and textures, or the way all colors consist of wavelengths within the visible spectrum of electromagnetic radiation/light.

good minimalist video title would be "On Less"

Minimalism could be seen as a new flashing advertising? Or any other thing per se? It could be a revolutionary art movement in the sense in which a new thing (music, art, product, movie, book) to really call attention to it is in fact an opposite of the previous generation? As in most art movements it would be a new form of being, so is minimalist a better way to call attention nowadays simply because the norm until so far was the opposite, maximalism? And perhaps with a little bit of personality trait attached to it. Like usually we don't trust the most flamboyant confident person, because it seems fake, when someone tries to prove their worth it seems flat and petty. So when something shows itself as simply this or that, in its minimal form, it seems courageous, they are showing their core meaning, no package, no lies, no pretexts, only what they really are. And that appeals to us. We are so afraid of labels over labels hiding our own real content, that things that are direct to the point call the most attention, because they seem more true, perhaps.

I love how you so often focus on topics that seem to have been "on the tip of my brain" for a while now, but which I've never really spent much time actually considering.

I've often considered starting a maximalist movement. I think we have fetishized simplicity to a ridiculous point. Particularly in consumer devices. Everything has become a "magic box" that doesn't explain itself until you've fidgeted with it for hours. I appreciate clean design as much as the next modern-snob. That said, I think sometimes a knob or button or oversized display would be a welcome change.

Man I'd love to watch you talk about Technology and the evolving relations that we, humans, are creating and pushing forward. The ever growing transparency between digital content and the physical object.

It's ironic that clothing/fashion has become so loud and vulgar in the past 5 years while everything else has adopted minimalism. Look at fashion in the late 90s early 2000s. Some say it was lifeless and monotone, but its also timeless because of its simplicity and more fits the 2010s where everything else is now minimal.

Yes, Ozu is the greatest filmmaker of all time. Now there are 5 of us.

I personally not only enjoy the idea of minimalism as an aesthetic but more generally as a philosophy to be applied to all areas of life. It's amazing the type of clarity and harmony that can be achieved by parsing down the clutter that clouds modern life. Getting back to basics, and enjoying the simple things. Your brain, and your wallet will thank you.

Thanks for Ozu, I never heard of him but it is now the best thing I saw in the last years

I just love minimalistic adverts!!!

This is my favorite vlog channel; it lets us peer into the vloggers personality, which is why we all watch vlogs, while still keeping it interesting! Brilliant!

And how welcome is it to the audience that your sitting in what looks like your four walled bedroom talking directly to the camera without unnecessary sounds and graphics? Your absolutely right. I dig your channel dude.

I have been endlessly searching the web for a video that describes minimalism in a detailed way and this channel delivered. Thank you!

The belief that more choices is better is applicable to almost all people worldwide, stemming from the logic that more options means less mistakes/grief. However what you last said is very agreeable, people don't want to choose all the time so they eventually resign to being told what they like submitting their power to the designers. :)

"Maybe we are more attracted to pieces of design that work in a minimalist sense". Interesting, I had this thought when analyzing what attracts me to certain music artists more than others.

I just started watching this a couple weeks ago and I greatly enjoy it. That is all.

Exactly what I was thinking. Evan is a wonderful asset to daily life. And internet life.

the way you say piet mondriaan is very entertaining for a dutch person

Huge shout out on your audio and video quality. Not just amazing content, but amazing presentation as well. Keep it up brother!

I think that there is an unspoken belief in modern American culture that having more choices is always better than having fewer choices. Just think of the cereal aisle, for example. However, I think that most people really just want to be told which choice is right or better or more important. Minimalism strips away the chaos of choice. The designer determines what is most important so that the viewer or consumer doesn't have to. That, I think, is why minimalism is so popular.

Well, we can all agree that Minimalism took off. Not to imply that it's a bad thing, especially in design, Where it has effectively replaced Skeumorphism's glossy yet ultimately overcrowded nature with simpler shapes with just enough complexity to convey what they represent.

Your videos should all get al least 100x more views.

I've only just started watching your videos, and while they are similar in some style and content to some others I'm subscribed to, I can tell already that you have a very unique, and attractive style! I can't wait to watch more!!

I like minimalism because it embodies the bang for buck mentality. to squeeze every ounce of pleasure and utility out of every single element of life is an incredible, but noble task. in a world where we're bombarded with meaningless notifications and adverts, a bit of a slower tempo can be nice. in a world where we're assaulted by Michael Bay's Transformers, our eyes could do with a little less. in a world where we're enveloped by customization and options and choices, a little clarity is incredibly refreshing.

It is less minimalism and more design theory.

Nerdwriter, great moves! Keep it up, proud of you

Display it, if you want. We should never be ashamed of learning, and to be offended by someone's knowledge is to embrace ignorance. BTW, I do not have a degree.

The fact that nerdwriter1 spoke about minimalism three years before all those minimalism lifestyle youtubers multiplied....

your videos are so brilliant, you're always so inthosiastic and inteligent

this is amazingly put changed my entire perspective about minimalism

Where can I find a list of your music used?

Great video! Your topic and editing, just everything was great!

The iPad made this blend in with my less artist technology subscriptions.

In my opinion I think it connects to the human nature to do things the simpler way. For example a math equation with a lot of steps: "why bother writing out the steps when I can write three and get what I need to illustrate across?". Which then evolves to: "why do I need to write out anything in between my answer and my equation?". It's an evolution to take the easy way out and we can see it now even more with upcoming technology. Although in retrospect I think comparing minimalism as an aesthetic choice to human nature might be a stretch but eh.

Simple is complex

This channel is amazing! Love your work my friend.

I never noticed that your end screen looks right, but I know I would notice if it looked wrong. So I guess an our of finding a perfect distance between the white objects worked and it does actually seem perfect

The twitter icon in your closing screen is everything but minimalistic... I'd just put a white bird and a sans serif font for Christ's sake!

i really love your videos! you talk about so many interesting concepts and i just want to hear more and more :) keep up the great work!

Dad posts on son's video that he cameo'd in? Fatherly love, with a dose of comedy.

It would seem to do with the rate of the processing of information. Heavy detailing and saturation of information take a long time to process. When issued faster than can be processed, it perhaps can feel cramped and intense. (Which can be used, in it's own way, as an effect.) Minimalism will straddle the line between fast processing and insufficient information, forcing the viewer to judge the work consciously so as to make the inferences (preferably not many) necessary to complete their perception of the work. It is possible, however, to have minimal information while having enough or more than enough information to have complete perception, which will instead allow work to be viewed more quickly. This is (most likely a large part of) why cartoons are paced faster than other video works. Alternatively, this same thing can explain part of why rain is so good at making scenes more intense, especially when they're slowed down. Rain is a lot of visual information, because it's usually without pattern (despite being self-similar), which helps to saturate the amount of visual information, which can make the scene more cramped and intense. Additionally, the sound of rain is similarly random and saturating. When combined, information density is high, so processing is slow, forcing the viewer to concentrate. This can allow for less artistic emotional stimulants to be processed as more potent, and can hinder the viewer's ability to see a majority of a complex emotional part of a scene, decreasing the perception of artistry. This could force an artist (like an editor or animator) to make such scenes longer, or cut out other information in a scene. Given this purpose for using this effect of rain, it is perhaps more potent to make the scene longer, both allowing for an excess of information to be processed slowly, and for the emotions to built up more naturally. Cool.

What you are describing here is actually a distorted comeback of a long abandoned discussion about graphic and industrial desgn, and has nothing to do with the minimalist concept. Maybe the root of this problem can be found reading Dieter Rams or Tomas Maldonado papers on functionalism. Great channel!

However, there is great beauty in chaos. If the tools to represent them is chosen wisely. The simplest and one that makes incredible sense is to study and evolve from nature. This would very well produce chaos which is both digestible and beautiful. Something we humans still have trouble processing... That we are just a part of the larger time tested system.

Great video but I didn't think that this one was as insightful as usual. Anyone who thought a little bit about the subject could have gotten the information in this video. It is a really straightforward , logical conclusion that anyone could have arrived at by taking a look at the world around them, or even the web page that they were watching the video on.

You were right! This video fills me with nostalgia ^_^

Your videos seem to rearrange my brain. ...I think I like it.

great video!

WOWOWOW I was so confused at the beginning since I'm new to your channel...

Minimalism is timeless.

This is by far my favorite videos of yours. What would be your opinion on the future? Are we just going through another trend of the ebb and flow of design styles, or is this trend towards minimalism a linear journey?

I love Minimalism.

I loved this.

The song sounds pretty minimalist too.

Wow, never thought about it like that

Informative and interesting as usual ^^) As a web designer, its amazing to look back at my earlier work and compare it to today's much more minimalist influences

I think in our everyday lives we prefer minimalism because it's less distracting and more practical, however I think in movies minimalism would be bad: entertainment is supposed to be distracting and detailed in order to be amusing and to keep the watcher watching, which is why RU-vidrs tend to make a 3 minute video with 2 minutes of explaining the thing they will summarize in the last 1.

love this channel

What is the theme music at the beginning? It sounds so simplistic, yet so cute!

Hey, I see Pynchon's V. on that shelf!

NEW NEW DEAL BOOK

You're telling me, it was my RU-vid debut. I must have checked a hundred times.

Great video as always sir, but the one thing design wise is the bevel effect. Just a visual thought as you are discussing that! :-)

You're casually artsy you know

Maybe that is the technique used by apple and Google to create a culture of technology. Minimalist web pages (continuity with its cloud services)from google and Minimalistic (industrial) design with it's hardware and software integration.

Wow, you're videos are great.

I also believe that the rise of minimalism is directly linked to the excesses we saw in the 80s and 90s. I'm a member of Generation X, and I'm ashamed to say that many in my generation are still following the mantra, "Whoever dies with the most toys wins!" It was my generation (paired with the Baby Boomers, who are actually worse than us) who popularized the McMansion, the SUV, six dollar coffee, the Apple Store queue for the newest iPhone, retail 'therapy,' living beyond one's means, payday loans, debt bankruptcy, status seeking, Hoarders, backstabbing reality TV, obnoxious living, you name it. Advertising under my generation has become more manipulative and invasive. Now that we've seen what excess is doing to our planet, instead of mending our ways Generation X has instead become a pack of denialist, finger-pointing conspiracy theorists who believe something outside of them has caused the problems we now face (if they believe the problems exist at all). Vaccines did it! The Illuminati did it! The government is making up climate change! It wasn't us! It's the aliens! Generation X took excess and turned it into an art form, and most were blind to the fact that the world can't live like this anymore. The generations that followed us (The Millennials, the Homelanders) look at Gen X'ers and the Boomers and wonder what the fuck we were thinking. Now you see a backlash to the excesses of Generation X and the Baby Boomers - the tiny house movement is a backlash to the McMansion. The Smart Car is their answer to the Hummer. Minimalism is the response to consumerism. I'm a freak of my generation. I tried to fit in and had my decade of debt and materialistic idiocy, and then I realized it wasn't me and it was FAR too much work to try to keep up anyway. I'm glad there's a backlash. It freed me.

Good Lord man, I love everything you do

I went and grabbed a cup of coffee just for this :D

great stuff

I really hope you make it big on youtube.

Great video!

What I mean is that Steve Jobs made it a common idea, or popularised it. There might be evidence all over world history, but Steve Jobs made it an accessible idea for everyone to see in modern society. Note: he was famous and rich, not unknown and poor.

The rise in complexity in everything is countered by the rise in minimalism

Minimalism has been all over history and culture but most notably and profoundly in it came with Modernism in the middle of the century. Look at work by Frank Lloyd Wright for example.

It did but was only popularized by Steve Jobs. The Aztec had minimalism in there society but how often do we say that, compared to using a mac.

@utzie12 Mee too :) Nice one Evan, I particularly appreciate your observation of our desire for minimalism in our personal lives due to the rise of a chaotic interaction with our environment (i.e. media, tools, etc.) It reminds me of the concepts of Hegelian Dialectics and of the concepts of Ying & Yang...nice one, sir ;)

...that left side rectangle and circle arragement of your endscreen look like silhouette of the iPod...:D

The rise of minimalism and excess are a parallel then? One rises along with the other? Excesses in social interactions, workloads, entertainment amounts, etc. there is also less and less in other giant aspects in our lives?

Could this be why some people who have sensory overload are so drawn to minimalism artwork?

oh what a funky beat! ;)

Loved this video, thanks. :)

The idea of minimalism I believe came from Steve Jobs, who created computers to be easy and simple to use. In the world, there are a lot of great tools, just you need to know how to use them. People are drawn to successful tools, but great tools weed out the unless stuff, and leaves in the good.

That's probably why Google has always been preferred when up against Yahoo! To think that something so simple has helped drive Google to the heights it is at now

I LOVE YOU

create video. Well thought out wish it was longer tho!

2:52 I'd still rather use all of these

Recently my local theather changed their website to minimalistic design. Now I don't know what they are playing. Google works, not because it's minimalistic, but it's clear to read. I prefer reddit to 4chan because it's easier to navigate, and yet I would argue that 4chan is more minimalistic, even if just a little. You can create clear, easy to read, quick to recognize designs that are not minimalistic. And you can create a mess of a design trying to achieve minimalism. When apple deicded that their icons will be flat, have no shadow or depth, I was fucking furious. Eventually I found a wallpaper that makes them kind of popout to see them better, but why am I forced to do it? And really, I don't see this rais in minimalism. Even in ads. For every minimal flash poster, there are ten that are not. And I bet that before they also used styles similar to this. Like a poster of a band with just the logo, or whatever. I like that he tries to explain something, but it would be great if he could prove it first.

hihi Pi -et Mondrian. I know, Dutch is a difficult language. It's pronounced more like the English equivalent of the name Pete

minimalism is good for efficiency.

yes, but the guy who popularizes a theory, I believe is the main figure that we talk and should talk about. Einstien didnt invent special relativity, but used theories from other people. And how often do we hear about those other people.

So interesting I'm starting to subscribe

This video was uploaded on 12/12/12 2012's end of the world day.

0:23 WAS THAT A MASS EFFECT REFERENCE!?

u deserve 1billion subs