Minimalistic web design has as much, if not better, success rate as complex web design. Here, simplicity and complexity is with reference to the overall design of the website. When it comes to simple web design, designers prefer to call it minimalistic rather than just simple. This is because simplicity can be mistaken for designing laziness; and not a concerted effort made to ensure that the design uses only those elements that are absolutely essential for creating the right impression in the minds of the website visitors.
There is a section of people who believe that a minimalist website design is easy to build, but the reality is that building such a site can be an intimidating experience and if it doesn’t come out the right way, the design might look simplistic.
So let’s take a look at some of the ways you can ensure you use minimal design, but at the same time are able to give your website the visual appeal it deserves.
The rule of thumb – “Less is more”
It’s a catch phrase that you must have heard before, especially from those who believe in the minimalistic aesthetic. When it comes to web design, this means using only those elements, absolutely necessary for giving shape to the designing concept. You must be able to make use of the minimum number of designing elements to achieve the kind of visual effects that are worthy of the website’s purpose, its goals and also its target audience. For e.g. it’s not required that the typography used in the website is visually striking. Even the most straightforward typography can make the website look aesthetically pleasing.
Don’t use things, you don’t need
Omission of needless design elements is the key to ensuring minimalist design. It’s ‘necessity’ that must be the driving force for the selection of your design elements. The content and functionality of your site should be paramount and only those things must be used that will help enhance the functionality of site. The focus should always be on improving the user experience of the site and nothing else. Needless graphics or features will serve no purpose at all. You need to pick and choose each element with care and forethought and judge its merits and potential to affect the readability and usability of your website.
Instead of Addition, think Subtraction
Your website has a threshold limit in terms of its minimalistic design. Keep taking away the design elements and it will break at some point, meaning it will not function the way it is supposed to. So, it’s important to keep subtracting till the website reaches its breaking point. Once you know you cannot go beyond a certain point, you need to stop, because it is at this point you that have got your minimalist design. Parameters that will help you identify your breaking point can be the technical functionality or usability considerations or both.
Attention to Detail
When it comes to minimalism, detailing is everything. Each and every aspect of the website is important and every design element that you choose to use or discard needs to be evaluated thoroughly for its applicability on your website. For e.g. something as simple as the border of an image will be a vital component of your overall web design, and play a big role in the look and feel of the website. It is very simple – if you are limiting the use of design elements as much as possible, you must choose every element with care.
It will be a great idea to first visualize the kind of experience that you want to offer your website and then flesh out this experience by giving careful thought to every detail that will help build it. Say you want your web design to look extremely sophisticated; its only exhaustive and comprehensive detailing that will help you give the website such a look
Minimalistic approach towards color
It’s not about choosing bright or neutral colors, but more about choosing the perfect color palette to enhance your design. Remember, you have cut down on the use of the design elements so, choosing the right color becomes crucial from the design perspective. Some designers believe that being minimalistic means using a gray, black or white palette, but that was the wrong way to go about it. The choice of color is based on the mood that you want the website to display; this helps you pick the right color combination for your site. But whatever you do, don’t bombard the viewer with a riot of colors.
The bottom line is that minimalist or not, your website should be able to offer users the kind of experience that you want them to have.
Philip Donald
Philip Donald has years of experience in various domains like Web Designing, Development, Project Management, Internet Marketing and more. He is currently working with PLAVEB, which is a leading Mobile App Development and Web Design Company located in Los Angeles, California.
