Blog Post #7 - Minimalist Advertisements

I have always liked ads that are simple and visually appealing, but reveal a strong message. The minimalist style works very well for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the eye doesn't have to work hard to find the central image of the ad. In the below ads for Colgate dental floss, the bright coloured fruits are front and centre; you can't miss them. As you can see, all of the seeds from the fruit have been removed to represent the idea that dental floss will remove all off the unnecessary food particles that inhabit our mouths.

Minimalist ads are also effective because they grab the attention of viewers. I am so used to seeing ads in magazines that are full of text such as makeup ads that list reasons why the product is better and what scientific discoveries prove that this product will make you look ten years younger. These ads tend to be too busy and I hardly stop to read the copy. For the ads below, my eye can register what the product is and what is being sold to me. It is visually appealing and also clever. Minimalist ads tend to be witty and smart; you usually take a second to look at the page and figure out what is going on. I think this contributes to the ad being more effective because viewers till tend to look at the ad longer than a typical make-up ad. Viewers might want to know what is going on and why this kiwi has no seeds!

I also like that the product, which is Colgate dental floss, is secondary and much less important than the images of the seedless fruits. Minimalist ads play on the idea that viewers are already aware of the brands and products. I do not think a minimalist ad would work well for an unknown brand unless social media was integrated so that people could link to more information. When I look at this ad, I don not need to know anything else. It is simply dental floss!

Today, with so many visual messages being thrown in my face, I am not as responsive to text-heavy, visually cluttered ads. I prefer a minimalist message that is clear, concise, and with a hint of cleverness.

Both images from this site: http://blog.the-dot.co.uk/tag/minimalist-print-ads/