Graphic design has always been a battlefield, a game of tug-and-war between extreme styles. From the 1920Õs opulent and ornate Art Nouveau to the geometric International Typographic of Over the decades, the trends in graphic design adapt to societal change, reacting to real-world events with minimal or maximal design in order to create change and escapism. The effects can range from minor to ground-breaking, changing how people consume and create. This paper seeks to prove that extreme minimalism or maximalism is a result of traumatic world events, each style used as a weapon or an escape.