Cyberpunk vs Minimalism

サイバーパンク / ミニマリズム

Cyberpunk comes from Visions of the Future and Minimalism from Functionalism. They are reached for with different intent, which is the fastest way to tell them apart.

Cyberpunk

Cyberpunk — 新宿・歌舞伎町のネオンサイン — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0Cyberpunk — 新宿・歌舞伎町の看板群 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0Cyberpunk — 香港・德己立街の夜景 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Advanced technology and ruined daily life share the same frame, so the future arrives as promise and as threat.

Minimalism

Minimalism — Agnes Martin 作品, SFMOMA 展示 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0Minimalism — Agnes Martin 作品群, SFMOMA 展示 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0Minimalism — Dan Flavin《Untitled (to Don Judd, Colorist) 1–5》1987, Tate Modern — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

Removes elements to maximize the meaning and tension of what remains.

CyberpunkMinimalism
Era1980s–1960s–
FamilyVisions of the FutureFunctionalism
KindStyleStyle
CuesRainy nights / Multilingual neon / Dense cabling / Dark citiesVast white space / Few elements / Quiet color / Precise spacing
Best used forSpeaking of technology's light and shadow together · Thick world-building for games and filmFocusing attention on a single value · Letting quality speak quietly
TypeAngular sans, monospace, multiple scriptsA light sans-serif or a well-cut serif
CompositionStack information densely on dark planesOne message, one focal point, wide margins
MaterialBlack, teal, red neon, raindropsNearly achromatic; texture in exactly one place
CautionDon't use Asian cities as a symbol of otherness. Make the fictional social order concrete.Missing information is not minimal. Decide priorities before you cut.

Put these two together

Visions of the Future ／ Functionalism

IndexStyle