Thanks for the great article Yazin! Discussing visual design, especially how it can benefit the longevity of a product by appealing to specific users, is a very timely and meaningful conversation we should all be having.

Minimalist design is undoubtedly popular and overwhelmingly adopted in the United States and Europe. This popularity has allowed it to permeate the design landscape, creating a somewhat homogenous approach to digital visual design. If you look at it from this perspective, most certainly, minimalist design will never go out of style, especially when taking into consideration all of the benefits that studies have proven over time. Similar to other aesthetic movements, maximalism is here to challenge the homogeneity brought about by minimalist design. However, it is not the only rebuttal we are seeing. Recently, the skeuomorphic design is also attempting to challenge minimalist design in a revamped approach that takes a cue from a minimalist design approach. Take a look at this designer’s work.

A more interesting question to me would be: in what markets do minimalist visual design approaches prevail vs. markets where a maximalist approach succeeds? Certain countries, especially in Asia, tend to prefer a maximalist approach to UI design over minimalism. Some recent research done at Google has revealed that users in these countries find minimalist interfaces less trustworthy as they lack the amount of information they are accustomed to consuming from their everyday apps. As we look toward designing for emerging markets, it becomes a lot more useful to ask: what visual design approach is most appropriate for the user population I will be designing for instead of focusing on which design aesthetic is superior to another. Here’s an interesting article that explores this in a bit more detail.