Over the past few years, web design has changed due to various trends that have come and gone. One of the trends that has not gone away is minimalism, simply because it is a timeless concept that has been popular in various media over the years. So why not in web design?
One of the best things about minimalism is that, apart from looking good, it improves the user experience. A complaint of many users for many years has been that some pages are very difficult to navigate. There is a lot of information that makes UX worse than it could or should be.
The old adage “less is more” is still true, especially when it comes to design in the 21st century.
1) Adopt a flat design
The flat design is notably characterized by the absence of shadows, 3D effects and gradients, and also uses bright colors to capture the user’s attention.
A great brand, which has adopted the flat design is Microsoft, especially in its Windows 8 operating system. On the official page of the latest version 8.1, we see the flat design.
This makes sense from a consistency point of view since Windows 8 has renewed the flat design on its home page.
That’s why, on the site, you don’t find evidence of leftovers or gradients, everything is in 2D. The typography of various fonts in the headlines and bodies of text has no textures of any kind, the page design is very clean and does not present any disorder, the icons are flat and the images of the Windows 8 home screens are a master of flat design, which continues in Windows 10.
2) Incorporates white space
Whatever you call it, negative space or white space is not only an exceptionally clever design element that guides the eye to where you want it to go on the page, it is a standard element of minimalism.
More and more sites are using this design technique as they have realized how beneficial it is.
The best example of the integration of negative or white space throughout the Internet is probably the site you least associate with it, because you take it for granted. You use it so much that you just don’t take it into account… but it’s there, I’m talking about Google.
It’s a great use of white space, for reasons that should be pretty obvious. Because the purpose of the site is to search, the company has used so much white space on the page that probably no user in the entire universe would be distracted by anything other than the search page.
All elements have been removed and negative space surrounds the page. Obviously, this directs the user’s eye to the point of greatest and only importance: where to write your search.
While negative space is an ideal example of minimalism, it should also be noted that it does not represent emptiness per se.
It is actually a very clever design element that assists in guiding the user’s eyes.
3) Limit the options
One of the biggest rules to increase conversions on any e-commerce site is to reduce the number of options you give to users, buyers or visitors. There is a reason for this: When you remove as many alternatives as possible, you allow your visitors not to be distracted by anything that prevents them from completing the objective of the page, which is to convert.
Besides, less options is another goal of minimalism in web design. One of the best places to see the magic of minimalism of choice is on landing pages – landing pages that are what they promise.
One company that understands the principle of minimalism of choice is Gengo, the professional translation company.
On their landing page, you see a complete absence of options. That’s because the landing page makes the next (and only) step very clear to visitors: convert by typing in the text or upload the file for translation.
Of course, purists in the field of choice minimization might argue that the top navigation menu in the header should be removed because users can click there instead of on the translation service.
4) Use bold
If you want to really appreciate minimalism in its most elemental form, check out Brian Danaher’s page. Brian is an art director, designer and illustrator.
As you can see, his site design is based on two things: bold typography and a single-column design, just that. Yes, minimalism can be very extreme for some tastes, but it achieves two important goals, which should be in the head of anyone who has a site to promote their career:
Because the navigation is basically a single column, Brian can get to the point by showing what he does, who he is and how he can be contacted.
Brian uses contrast (in font colors and background colors as well as between font sizes and styles) correctly to give his visitors the
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