Japanese design studio Nendo is notably known for their intricate minimalism in design. However, with their latest branding project for cosmetic brand naturaglacé, the studio investigates the relationship between simplicity and chaos to produce a series of patterns made of coloured brush strokes.

Minimalism, in Nendo's case, can be fun but needs to be contextual. To celebrate the 10th year anniversary of naturaglacé and to solve the lack of strong identity for the brand, Nendo has chosen a palette of 11 colours corresponding with the products' natural pigments in order to form their visual device. A collection of colour combinations are put onto white boxes to add a further aesthetic separation. To then counter with the chaotic nature of the patterns, the products are contained within plain light grey concealers. The interplay brings to sight the main player that is usually hidden from the customers, which is a clever move to communicate what the cosmetic brand stands for. This newfound relationship is the solution to communicative problems.

I really appreciate Nendo's unapologetic use of colours in their minimal vision for naturaglacé. Here, more is more in terms of product communication, while less becomes the harmoniser for disordered compositions. This is no doubt one of my most favourite design decisions from Nendo.