What Makes Web Minimalism Effective (Part 1 of 2)
Sure, design trends come and go - but one trend that seems here to stay is the oh-so-popular Minimalism style. Though Minimalism can easily be a pitiful excuse for design, Minimalism (if used right) can be extremely powerful. However, in order to use Minimalism effectively, we must first understand what makes Minimalist design so effective and powerful.
The underlying principal is extremely simple.
Minimalism strips down the work to its “most fundamental features.”wiki
By stripping away all excess clutter, we remove all distractions from the message of the web site. For example, Apple.com’s design is clean, simple, and to the point - Minimalist. Upon loading the page, visitors know what is new and/or popular on Apple.com in seconds. To reiterate my point, look at 80/20 Studios. Even though it contains less visually than Apple.com, it is no less effective. Within seconds of loading 8020studio.com, visitors know who they are, what they stand for, and that 80/20 has worked for many major cooperations like Apple, BMW, AT&T, Google, and more. Not bad for a few seconds of viewing.
To contrast Minimalism, let’s look at some non-minimalist designs. STUDIO7DESIGNS and Web Designer Wall are a good examples. Though the designs are both very visually appealing, it takes more viewing time to determine who owns the websites and why they’re on the web. Again, I am not saying that is a bad thing or that it is ineffective - I am simply saying that it is a different style.
So let’s do a quick review.
Minimalism strips work down to its fundamental features.
In doing so, it removes all distractions to add focus to who owns the website and/or what ever the website stands for.
Though having visual aid is not necessarily a bad thing, it can distract from the website’s purpose.
Now we know the “why” of Minimalism, but what is the “how” of minimalism?
Design isn’t math; there isn’t a Minimalism Equation. We can isolate some of the key components of Minimalism and learn how to use them effectively.
I’ll explore some of the components of Minimalism in my next post - so stay tuned.
Like the comparison of Apple and 80/20. The latter being a new site for me, so was interested in it as well as being curious.
Just not minimal, but simplicity abound as well. I would sometimes say that Apples site is not so much minimal tho. It’s not the first word that pops into my head when i see it. But then I think peoples ideas of what minimal is can be very subjective. Apple’s site for me is one of pure class, functionality and well developed.
80/20’s sites is what I would class more minimal in terms of what I feel minimal is. Posterous blogs for example ooze minimalicity to me.
But cool post, always good to hear what other people have to say. look forward to part 2.
Cheers
Graham