Horror Vacui Vs. Minimalism
According to Wikipedia, Horror Vacui is the filling of the entire surface of an artwork with ornamental details, figures, shapes, lines and anything else the artist might envision. It was first proposed by Aristotle in Philosophy. Literally, it means fear of empty spaces. It is considered opposite to Minimalism.
As a designer, I personally favor minimalism. Even a very minimal design may not be good as the main aim of your design is to attract the attention of the audience and at the same time be usable.
Example of Horror Vacui (Taken from the internet. Credit belongs to the original artist.)
In mainstream design, Horror Vacui isn’t given much importance as the style of designers usually hovers between horror vacui and minimalism. But there are artists around the world who make Horror Vacui look very elegant and pleasing to the eyes.
Example of Minimalism (Taken from the Flickr Pool of Roseann Dreasher.)
Minimalism could be very powerful, at times. A best example of minimalism in web design could be the Google homepage. It’s not only simple and minimal in design but also very user friendly.
Whether you favor minimalism or horror vacui, in the end, good design is what that matters the most. People have varied tastes and those who hate minimalism may like horror vacui and vice versa. A good design should be able to cater to the tastes of major section of people (if not the whole population!).
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