The Art Of Minimalism in Web Design: Less Is More

What Is Minimalism?

If you’re not familiar with what minimalism looks like, it’s the principle of keeping things clean and simple – the opposite of maximalism. It’s become a popular practice over recent years across many facets including interior design, fashion and also web design. For instance, a minimalistic home will look tidy and spacious with zero-clutter and decor pieces that serve a key purpose and don’t make the room look busy. Many people have also been taking the minimalistic approach when it comes to their wardrobes and clearing out any clothes that they haven’t worn in a while or can’t styled with different pieces (thank you Marie Kondo). Minimalism can also extend to colour palettes, where people (either in their home or their fashion) might opt for a just a few colours, usually consisting of neutral tones. So how does minimalism translate into we site?

What Does Minimalism Look Like In Web Design?

The core principal of minimalism remains the same when it comes to web design and has become a popular design choice. It includes clean layouts, ample white space and that each element you include has a key purpose on the site. This design style significantly enhances the user experience by not only making sure that each element on your website has a key purpose, but it also makes your site visually appealing and enjoyable to browse.

This doesn’t mean having a ‘plain’ or ‘boring’ site, as many minimalistic websites are vibrant and exciting. Instead it means using key design elements rather than ‘cluttering’ the site with lots of unnecessary elements that don’t enhance the user experience or relate to your business.

What Are The Benefits Of a Minimalistic Web Design?

One of the key benefits of a minimalistic web design is that they are highly accessible. Because the designs are clutter-free and focus on neutral colours, it makes for a website that is easy to look at and navigate. Also, you can also find that minimalist websites are quicker to load because they are less busy and focus on hand-picked elements that all serve a key purpose.

Why You Should Stick To The Rule of 3 With Minimalistic Designs

When it comes to the minimalistic designs for websites, the Rule of 3 is a key principle that should be considered for each element. For instance, when you’re choosing your font, a Sans Serif font will look much cleaner, but it’s also recommended to stick to a maximum of 3 different font styles. It’s not only your fonts you need to consider, but also your colour scheme should follow the Rule of 3. When choosing your colours, stick to a neutral colour palette, such as tones of black, white and beige and then a carefully chosen accent colour to highlight the important elements on the pages. Perfecting your palette and plenty of white space will help keep your website looking clean, sleek and minimalistic.

What To Think About When Designing A Minimalistic Site

One of the biggest pitfalls of a minimalistic website is when functionality is sacrificed for the sake of the design. There are many websites out there that are very visually appealing, however, they don’t serve the purpose of what the website was made for. This could mean an ecommerce site that has created a beautifully minimalistic website, but has missed out the fundamental elements to help their users browse their site, shop their products and check out smoothly.

This is key when you’re designing a minimalistic website, as you want to strip back the design, but not strip back the key fundamentals that impact your user’s journey.

Check out our favourite examples for a minimalistic design for ecommerce here and service-driven here.