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Hustle Belt (Mid-Afternoon) Dump: So, how about minimalism, eh?

From your art museum to your football team's uniform, minimalism is the new *thing* and that's perfectly fine in my book.

By James H. Jimenez
Graeme Robertson/Getty Images

I like to follow media trends and things of that nature. There's always been something about how people or corporations present themselves to the public that has fascinated me from a very young age.

The presidential election of 2000 especially caught my attention at the tender age of six. Both presidential campaigns used signage and campaigns that were very minimalist for their time. It felt different from previous elections, where faces were plastered onto buttons with obnoxious stripes and stars with "VOTE FOR XYZ!" all over it. There's a simple elegance to a well-executed minimalist look.

Minimalist art has been the look du jour in public relations for the last six or seven years, and follows a pattern that puts it in stark contrast with the excess of the 1990's and early 2000's, which as well all know, LOVED weird colors.

It could have a little to bit to do with the economic crisis of the mid-2000's, where people saw such excesses for what they were and went with more practical designs. The introduction of HDTV also could have brought about the need for more clearly-definable "looks" and logos. For a case study, just look at Microsoft going from the curve-tastic, pixelated, overly colorful flying nightmare THIING that it was to the now easy to look at (though average looking) four squares with slim writing.

We ask for simplicity these days, and nowadays, everyone is delivering.

Miami and Buffalo are the two latest teams in the MAC to embrace a minimalist design to many positive reviews thus far. Miami ditched an attempt to go bold and returned to basics, while UB re-embraced the "Buffalo" identity in a sleek new way, foregoing the pointed premonitions of the previous "SUNY-Buffalo" uniforms.

Some might see the changes as a tad boring, or a copycat of other teams. However, I think that for these teams in particular, it's a good thing. Miami needed to modernize in the baddest sense and return to some sort of identity, while UB needed to shed skin and move forward.

Minimalism in college sports does two things: embraces a modern, sleeker look and allows for the opportunity for a more "classic" look. To me, it's a win-win.

***

I would be remiss not to mention the passing of one of the all-time greatest defensive minds in football, who once coached at Buffalo in Buddy Ryan. He was also the architect of the 46 defense and the 1985 Chicago Bears. Hot dang.

RIP, Buddy. Go torment some quarterbacks in heavens.

To leave on a positive note, check out ABSOFACTO, a sweet electro-pop artist from Ann Arbor who often performs nearby EMU.

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