The Mario Blog

06.16.2016—2am    Post #2450
When simplicity tells the story best

Had to show you this IKEA advertisement from Sweden. It has that Scandinavian touch of minimalism, but very effective as well. And Argentina's La Nacion accomplishes the same via an infographic that tells the story at a glance.

I often tell students in my Columbia class that they must work hard to secure that the most direct, visual and quick way of telling a story is the best.

I also mention that simplicity, or, as in this case, minimalism, are usually not what comes naturally first when we start sketching.  The designer faced with a concept, usually the pitch of a story, is going to start sketching many options.  The first burst of ideas is usually a “group” of ideas, and we quickly put all of them down, sometimes refusing to let go of the ones that are not so practical or efficient.

That is why I love how IKEA carried the message of price and this table home so quickly, in terms with which the average consumer can identify: the cost of three cups of coffee. As it happens, 59 kroners, or the price of 3 cups of coffee, is the price of this US$7.26 table.

Argentina’s La Nacion

Here is a Page 2 graphic that tells the story of how long Argentineans wait for a transplant. I thought this was easy to follow, direct and a functional way to tell this story.

La Nacion published this Saturday, June 11, 2016

TheMarioBlog post #2450

The Mario Blog