Art Nouveau vs Luxury Minimal

アール・ヌーヴォー / ラグジュアリー・ミニマル

Art Nouveau comes from Historical Styles and Luxury Minimal from Contemporary Branding. Both are read here as style. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau — Alphonse Mucha《ジスモンダ》ポスター 1894 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domainArt Nouveau — Alphonse Mucha《F. Champenois 印刷所》1897 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domainArt Nouveau — Hector Guimard によるパリ地下鉄パスツール駅入口 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

Joins letters, figures and ornament into one flowing, plant-like line.

Luxury Minimal

Luxury Minimal — Dieter Rams《Braun ET66》1987 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0Luxury Minimal — Dieter Rams による Braun のターンテーブル — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0Luxury Minimal — Dieter Rams《Braun T4》トランジスタラジオ — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0

Communicates confidence, not price, through silent margins and precise typesetting.

Art NouveauLuxury Minimal
Era1890s–1910s1990s–
FamilyHistorical StylesContemporary Branding
KindStyleStyle
CuesBotanical curves / Ornamental frames / Female figures / Muted natural colorsVast margins / Refined serifs / Low chroma / Quiet photography
Best used forSpeaking of craft and handwork · Leading with beauty and narrativeConveying quality without raising your voice · Making the product or photo the single focus
TypeCurvilinear serifs or hand letteringHigh-contrast serif with a small sans
CompositionVertical formats, frame compositions, a central figureOne point at the center or edge; margins play the lead
MaterialDusty greens and gold, line work, paper textureOff-white, black, faint textures of stone and cloth
CautionStock vine ornaments stay superficial. Carry the line through the whole composition.Tiny type and faint color are not luxury. Being readable comes first.

Put these two together

Historical Styles ／ Contemporary Branding

IndexStyle