With a growing focus on creating mobile first and responsive websites, minimalist web design is essential for site success. Minimalist web design that is also affordable is more than it may seem and involves additional work besides reducing page content and layout complexity. Custom web design that is minimalist, yet effective, must be properly planned according to certain critical design principles such as those introduced below.
Less is More
When correctly used, minimalist web design lets a site function as required on different devices while still being functional to the user. To achieve these goals, designers must take two important principles into account: Hick’s Law of psychology and the practice of selective disregard.
Hick’s Law is common sense based; it points out that the more choices people have, the longer it takes for them to accomplish their goals. In terms of web design, this translates to having a site that is simple and direct, making it easier for visitors to use .
The way to make any site less complicated and easier to use is through selective disregard. This concept involves the practice of removing all non-essential elements one at a time until those that remain are essential. By combining both of these ideas, minimalist custom web design can be jointly attractive, functional, and user-friendly.
The 80/20 Rule
The key to applying the above two principles of minimalism lies in a third rule, which is the 80/20 rule of web design. This rule states that 20% of the elements on a website are responsible for 80% of the results tracked on that site. For example, 20% of a site’s navigational elements receive 80% of the clicks and 20% of its aesthetics are responsible for 80% of the visual feel of the site.
Knowing this, minimalist custom web design must first determine which of these details is most important for overall site effectiveness and should remain. The less functional elements can then be eliminated by the process of selective disregard.
Creating More from Less
For web design that is affordable, functional, aesthetically pleasing, and user-friendly, designers must build a site by only using essentials elements in an effective way:
- Negative Space - In creating minimalist layouts, negative space is an element of the design, not simply a lack of content. Lighter sites with large areas of negative space work well when the space itself is planned along with other elements.
- Color and Contrast - Efficient achievement with negative space and simplified layout elements requires skillful use of color and contrast. Limited palettes with varying degrees of contrast are more effective than those with more colors that can slow site speed in a simpler layout. One or two colors at most work best, as do monochrome layouts.
- Imagery and Typography - Effective minimalist design can be achieved using large, vivid images or illustrations as well as just a few specific typefaces that portray mood and feel. This reduces the need to use graphics, shadows, buttons, and other highlights that can make a page seem too busy.
While it may initially seem as if minimalist web design can be simply thrown together, this could not be further from the truth. For any minimalist web design to be affordable yet effective, it must be built around important principles that address psychology and the right choice of custom web design elements, then presenting them in an effective way. Less really can be more with carefully chosen elements that perform multiple duties in minimalist layouts!