Minimalism and maximalism: two sides of the same coin. The first describes a design style that focuses on simplicity, clean lines, and plainness, while the latter embraces a design style that’s abundant, bold, and often times a sensory overload. They are total opposites of each other, yet both have made a defining mark on design history. But, is one approach better than the other?
Recent trends have shown companies leaning into both directions. In tech, we can see the latest iPhone 17 Pro take on maximalism with its oversized camera. On the other hand, the Nothing Phone tackles minimalism, with the new design of their recent Nothing Phone 3 removing its previous version’s 900 LEDs and replacing it with a small circular screen on the top right of the phone called the glyph matrix.
Yet, both approaches had their controversies. Users on Reddit dislike the iPhone 17 Pro’s camera, calling the bulky, ‘android-like’ design too much. On the other hand, the Nothing Phones community had conflicting feelings about the Nothing Phone 3, thinking it was too little for its selling price of $799.
For regular businesses, the design of logos have been rapidly jumping from maximalist to minimalist and vice versa. For example, we have Cracker Barrel, an American restaurant and retail chain well-known for its old-country theme and Southern comfort food. In August of 2025, the company suddenly rebranded and changed their logo. The logo still featured the company's classic gold and brown color palette, but strikingly removed the iconic man seated next to a wooden barrel. The new logo was just left with the name, all additional illustrations gone— a clear example of a maximalist to minimalist design.
This led to heavy public backlash, for example, from President Trump. He tweets that Cracker Barrel made a mistake, and needs to listen to what their customers really want, which was to revert back to their old logo. (Disclaimer: this is NOT support for Trump’s political/personal actions, this is just an example of a public figure speaking out about Cracker Barrel)
In a video analysis by Will Paterson— a graphic designer who specializes in logo design, hand lettering, and brand identity— Paterson expertly explains what went ‘wrong’ about the rebranding of Cracker Barrel. He states:
“Cracker Barrel didn’t just change the look of their logo, they changed their customers perception and perspective on who they are.”
The general gist was that people loved Cracker Barrel for what it stood for and represented: a nostalgic, old-country atmosphere. Imperfections in the original logo and the image of Uncle Hershal sitting on his chair next to the barrel brought good memories and a sense of familiarity. The new logo completely erased that.