Web design style: minimalist
Posted on Mon Jul 19, 2010, 11:18 am in design commentary by Siasan.Tags: design commentary, minimalist design style, web design
137 Comments
General description
The minimalist design movement began in Switzerland and was then applied to a variety of media ranging from music to architecture and art. More recently, it has also been applied to web design. Minimalist web design focuses on extreme simplification of form and colour to create a dramatic effect. The emphasis is on use of negative space – usually white or very light grey. Darker backgrounds can be used, but they tend to have less impact.
The key phrase to describe this style is ‘less is more’.
Important features
- extreme simplification of form and colour
- very dramatic effect
- removal of all unnecessary elements
- simple navigation
- intended to convey a refreshing impression
- fastest loading times
- can be perceived as boring
- emphasis on use of negative space
- most effective if the main colour scheme is greyscale
When it was fashionable
The use of minimalism began in web design as a reaction against the poor design and cluttered appearance of Geocities-style websites. It has remained in frequent use since it was first introduced, but it became hugely popular in 2009-2010.
What inspires the style
The style was originally inspired by the Modernist art movement’s rejection of traditional forms. Web designers who use minimalist techniques are inspired by the desire to have a clean, uncluttered page with nothing to distract the user from their main content. They are reacting against the ‘busy’, overloaded websites that have been common since the beginning of the visual web.
Another source of inspiration is minimalism in other disciplines such as architecture, art and music.
How the style has changed over time
There are examples of minimalist design as far back as the eighteenth century, but it has mainly developed throughout the twentieth century. There have been very little changes to the style during this time. It has remained constant in its rejection of any unnecessary elements.
How technology has caused the style to change
The minimalist web design style has remained largely unaffected by technological changes, although it has been more easily applied to mobile devices than many other styles.
Example URLs and screen shots
Finch
An example of a very clean design dominated by typography.
http://www.rikcatindustries.com/
Rikcat Industries
Another example of very clean layout.
Postmachina
A minimalist website with a dark background.
Links
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/clean-simple-minimalist-website-design/ – a list of examples of minimalism applied to web design.
http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/minimalistic-web-design/ – another list of examples
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/12/minimalist-web-design-when-less-is-more/ – an article on how to achieve minimalist web design
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimalism – an article on the minimalist design movement
http://www.artmovements.co.uk/minimalism.htm – a description of the minimalist style in general
http://bloggingbits.com/minimalism-in-web-design/ – a very good article on minimalist web design
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/05/13/principles-of-minimalist-web-design-with-examples/ – another article on how to achieve a minimalist web design
July 19th, 2010 at 7:40 pm
Really nice site for the new developer they can get good idea from this site very nice thanks for the great information.
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