The current vogue for simplicity in brand design is evident all around us, as marketers streamline their portfolios, rationalize SKUs, and redesign packages. Design awards are routinely granted, and peer respect is accorded to all those visually arresting, utterly simple brands so frequently featured in the design “must-reads:” The Dieline, Communication Arts, or any of various AIGA publications. Much has been written on the subject; indeed, this author recently posted a piece on The Dieline asserting that “Simplicity Rules.”
That’s all well and good.
But to strike a slightly contrarian stance, it’s not always so simple. And it MAY not always be so desirable, either.
