Minimalism vs Synthwave

ミニマリズム / シンセウェーブ

Minimalism comes from Functionalism and Synthwave from Digital Retro. Both are read here as style. They are reached for with different intent, which is the fastest way to tell them apart.

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.

Synthwave

Synthwave — G. Casqueiro《Chase The Sun》2019年 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0Synthwave — Gégène《Back to the 80s》2022年 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0Synthwave — Rod Trussardi《Carnival Night カバーアート》2021年 — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Replays the future the 1980s imagined, in neon and horizon lines.

MinimalismSynthwave
Era1960s–1980s imagined future
FamilyFunctionalismDigital Retro
KindStyleStyle
CuesVast white space / Few elements / Quiet color / Precise spacingNeon / Perspective grid / Sunset / Black sky
Best used forFocusing attention on a single value · Letting quality speak quietlyInstant world-building for games and music · The euphoria of retro-futurism
TypeA light sans-serif or a well-cut serifOblique sans with script accents
CompositionOne message, one focal point, wide marginsLow horizon, central perspective, gigantic title
MaterialNearly achromatic; texture in exactly one placeBlack, magenta, cyan, glow
CautionMissing information is not minimal. Decide priorities before you cut.Sun and grid alone are overfamiliar. Add story elements of your own.

Put these two together

Functionalism ／ Digital Retro

IndexStyle