Emotions, Branding, Minimalism, and Other Design Topics

January 06, 2004 | View Comments (8) | Category: Design

Summary: An mini-essay on emotions, branding, minimalism, and where I would like to take my sites.

I had a problem last night. I forgot what type of designer I decided I was going to be. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be the minimalist master or the aesthetics advocate. I did about 10 different versions of a site in about an hour simply because I couldn't focus on what I was trying to be. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted this site to be. So I stopped designing and I started reading. I found this small little gem over at Design By Fire (watch out for this site, the peeps know what they are talking about) and decided it was time for bed so I could start today with a fresh feeling.

I always thought that I had to have a defining design type that I should follow almost like a painter follows a genre (impressionism, post-impressionism, abstract, etc.). 37signals are masters of minimalism and there was a time not too long ago where this was the type of design I strived to always achieve. The look of this site right now sort of encompasses how I was viewing minimalism. However, after a couple of months of writing here and doing a lot of reading I wanted to achieve more with my designs. I realized that saying I wanted to be a minimalist designer was more of me hiding behind the fact that I was scared to admit I wasn't the designer that I wanted to be yet. However, I was also using the wrong definition of minimalism to hide behind.

Sure there are many minimalist sites out there that are plain looking, yet they serve their purpose. There are also many minimalist sites out there that are beautiful yet no one would classify them as minimalist. To me Jeff Croft's site is an excellent example of beautiful minimalism. I am beginning to see that minimalism is what you make of it. It really is the ability to add to a site everything that is needed and throw everything that is not needed away.

I fall into the trap of trying to take everything away from a design though that serves a purpose that I may not readily see. Colors and images are a powerful force if used properly. They can convey so much more to a person than words could alone. Right now this site is living and breathing by words alone, because there are no colors to give out any ideas or emotions. This was my original intention because I wanted the content to stand on its own and I believe it does that. But now I wish to create a 9rules/whitespace "brand" that develops over time. If you don't think that blogs can't have a brand associated with them, then obviously you have not come across Zeldman's site. Through every redesign he is able to maintain his brand. It's not as easy as it looks.

Developing a brand is important to me because I wish for people to have a positive reaction when they think of this site. If they were to see a small screenshot of this site without having the ability to read its content, then I want them to recognize that it is Whitespace. Once they recognize it I wish for them to have a positive reaction. Maybe even think about the great things they discussed there. Brands are a powerful thing. They can make or break a site and a company. Companies without brands are companies not remembered. Same could be said of websites.

I am sure the content alone has done a wonderful job of developing a brand here, but to me these only develop the intellectual brand. Harvard University does not provoke any emotions in me, but intellectually I realize the level of information that can be found there. I really want Whitespace to have some more emotion to it. This is what some people might refer to as "oomph". This site needs more "oomph." Whitespace is looking for its brand (Phase 4 of the redesign).

It is difficult building a quality brand and it does take some time. That is why redesigns can be disliked by so many people, especially if they break the brand that you have developed. If Shea were to do a major redesign of his site, I am sure many people would be up in arms saying how much better the other site was only because they have grown attached to his brand, even if the new site is better. Brand is a powerful thing.

There is a reason companies spend thousands and sometime millions on a quality logo. The logo becomes an image that represents the brand. I guess this site might already have a brand. My problem is visually defining the brand that it has, be it through colors, images, or whatever. Yes I am a minimalist designer. But brocolli alone is also minimalist. Add some cheese to kick up the flavor and you still have a minimalist meal. Just one with something more to it. I think the unique layout helps to define the brand somewhat visually. Emotionally though, there is nothing. I realize though I need to figure out the brand that I wish to establish.

So as a designer I must find harmony between usability, branding, minimalism, aesthetics, and standards. Last night I was having trouble getting all five together. I almost drove myself crazy till I told myself there is always tomorrow and that finding that perfect meeting point takes some time and planning. So that is where I am now. A self-proclaimed designer, whose only education lies in looking at other sites, reading books, and practicing, trying to unify five aspects of a site into perfect harmony. Maybe I should go back to programming. Seems a lot easier.

Trackback URL: http://9rules.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/95

Comments

#1

Paul -

I really think you have a tendency to overthink things. "Forgetting" what kind of designer you're going to be is like forgetting where your soul is, or who you are.

In reading just a few of the posts on your site here, I get the impression you're young, thoughtful, sensitive, and a bit naive. Given these traits, I would tend to believe you'd naturally tend to the side of minimlist design - hell, look at the name you've chosen for your forum here - "whitespace." The brand you're creating through your words and the name you've chosen is minimlist.

In terms of design, I doubt you'll ever be able to change your natural tendencies, but will adapt to the flavors of the month as they come and go. For me, back in '96 when it was all the rage to have a black background for websites, I ran with the crowd. However, there were also a good number of sites that "had" to incorporate animated gifs or rainbow effect horizontal lines, but I never went that direction because it was cheesy as far as I was concerned, and not true to my nature.

Getting back to 9 Rules / Whitespace. Branding is so much more than a cool logo. It's who you are and staying true to that. Consistency in that behavior over time and perceived positively by the public builds a strong brand. So, I think you're off to a good start just letting your thoughts be the brand for whitespace.

That said however, I think you should really take a deep look at the content you have posted on 9 rules and compare it to the posts you write here. It's going to be very difficult for you - I believe - to build a powerful brand when you post on one section of your site "I will be a mentor / teacher" and then on another section state "I forgot what kind of designer I want to be."

Don't try to be what you're not. People will pick up on it everytime.

Mark Fusco (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)

#2

Minimalism is a great brand in itself. Stick with it, but feel free to have modest spaces for great grahpics. Case in point, 37 Signals Basecamp: http://www.37signals.com/basecamp/

I think you need to spend some time doing a really great logo for whitespace and one for 9rules. Hit the library, the magazine rack, the bookstore. Check out sites of great logo designers. Talk to great designers. Get creatively inspired and go to it.

Will (http://www.willpate.org)

#3

If you must have a logo for whitespace, allow me to offer this as a suggestion - a plain white sqare box outlined with thin black.

Here's why:

1. Doesn't get much more minimal

2. A square is symbolic of honesty (i.e. a square deal) which goes with the content of you being honest w/the public regarding your feelings

3. Whitespace is a term for space between characters in layout. If you open a Microsoft Word document in another application - such as Wordpad - the spaces in the document appear as white square boxes.

4. It can be a symbol for a blank slate or palette - sky's the limit kind of thought.

5. Integrates well with what, I guess used to be, the 9 rules logo.

I think the colors you've chosen are good - what's black, white and red all over? Grey is also a good additionally color just because of the diversity of ideas shared.

Mark Fusco (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)

#4

Thanks for the ideas guys. In a far off place a long, long, time ago I did have a box here. Will have to look further into it.

I can see why having a brand isn't really catching on here with everyone, but the need is there because of future plans I have. As of right now these plans are not obvious to anyone but myself. Over the year you will begin to see why I am making a big deal out of this.

Scrivs (http://www.9rules.com/whitespace/)

#5

Sorry to bogart this topic -

If you were to go with the square box idea, you could then go with a mondrian type design for whitespace

To further augment my argument for the square box -

4a. The white box further symbolizes emptying out your thoughts (white = empty / open for more)

5. Thin line surroundnig the box symbolizes a thin veil or easy access to ideas.

Mark Fusco (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)

#6

I rather liked white_pace - if you settle on a nice font, perhaps the one you're using now, why not continue using that as a brand? Perhaps because your design is so minimal, I really miss the old underscore concept, I thought that was clever: design meets geek.

mahalie (http://www.mahalie.com/blog)

#7

actually, i liked the type treatment of the word white space (with the space in between the two words) from before this last redesign.

but i like the black box idea as well.

a brand is more than just a look. it is an attitude that you have towards the projects you have, how you approach them, solve problems, etc.

it is more than just a "look".

a pretty good book that talks about branding in the online realm is branding.com. skim over it if you get a chance.

Jeremy Flint (http://www.jeremyflint.com)

#8

If you haven't had the chance yet to do so, I recommend going out and reading Paul Rand's A Designer's Art, which has some great commentary on brand and design. Especially on logo work. His other book, simply titled Paul Rand and is a bit harder to find, is also good for inspiration on this level.

Thanks for the link to my site, by the way. I'm still getting out of the gate, and will be evolving my own brand over this year myself. (I already hate the sidebar typography design and content layout, and will fix them next week.) I just added trackbacks tonight as well.

You've got a nice little touch going with the icon link you use, the little square with arrow going top right. Maybe there's something there that speaks to you? Something in that direction to take a Whitespace logo?

Just a thought.

Andrei Herasimchuk (http://www.designbyfire.com)

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