Is there another way of saying “less is more" in the following context?
They changed their packaging and left only the essential branding on it. It epitomizes "less is more".
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3Why look for an alternative to a perfect fit? Please clarify why "less is more" doesn't suit you.– RegDwigнtJul 28, 2013 at 13:05
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2@RegDwighт While the phrase is a good fit, I disagree that such a phrase is a perfect fit due to its ambiguous and colloquial nature. See my answer.– Jack RyanJul 28, 2013 at 16:20
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1@RegDwighт Because "less is more" is reminiscent of Ingsoc slogans from Nineteen Eighty-Four, while alternatives below are not. I for one have never liked the phrase.– IzkataJul 28, 2013 at 19:03
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Occam Rules!– FumbleFingersJul 28, 2013 at 21:16
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1Not quite fit for context but: "Brevity is the soul of wit"– d'alar'copMar 14, 2014 at 23:20
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6 Answers
Minimalist/minimalistic is used to describe art or design stripped to its essential or fundamental features and may be a good way of describing your redesign.
A similar, but less dramatic phrase is keep it simple, or the more emphatic keep it simple, stupid, often abbreviated to KISS.
You also might consider lean and mean
using only what is necessary, and determined to work effectively in order to compete successfully
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+1 I would suggest "lean" is appropriate by itself. It is certainly the industrial equivalent of "less is more" (feel free to perform a search for "lean" business books), but might not be as widely understood as the "less is more." Jul 29, 2013 at 11:12
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To quote a US president, "that depends on what the meaning of 'is' is."
This phrase implies a subject and verb (via the equivocal "is") of some cause, as well as the resultant effect. At times, explicitly stating an idea is preferable to implying what the result might be (more brand recognition? more market share of the target demographic?). I would suggest that the critical idea is that simplicity (or minimalism, as @GetzelR notes) will achieve a greater impact (e.g. sales revenue).
In this context, an alternate way of stating the key phrase is to explicitly say that "a simpler package design might appeal to more customers, thus creating higher sales revenues for the company." However, by specifying both cause and effect, one finds oneself wielding a longer sentence containing some information that the target audience already understood (of course they're selling more!), supporting the idea that, well, sometimes "less is more."
Instead of "less is more", how about "efficiency"?
They changed their packaging and left only the bare essentials.
In design terminology, the word that I think comes closest here is "elegant". This does not mean stylish, nor high-fashion. It simply communicates artistic economy.
