Minimalism in Web Design: 10 Principles for Success

In thinking of minimalism, it’s well known that less is better in making a point. When it comes to what someone wants to see in web design, the trend of minimalism is there, but does it prove effective with web design?

Users today like web designs that focus on the main components rather than distractive fancy features. When you want to engage a user, minimalist design offers improved usability and an appeal that is both tasteful and pleasing.

In order to present a minimalist design, Hyland Graphic Design & Advertising can bring the necessary skills and experience together to create an understated design that represents a company and brand in its best light. We’ll look at developing a site that strikes just the right balance with minimalism, and we’ll follow principles that work with minimal web design. Here are 10 principles to follow for minimal web design.

1. Using White or Negative Space

If you want to create appealing websites, you’ll use white or negative space. White space is simply the space between the elements you can see on a page. The more empty a space the more advantages to emphasizing what’s there. The area is empty of text, buttons, images and other features. Incorporation of white or negative space guides the user’s attention to the main parts of a page which allows for a calming and harmonious impact on visual aspects and you’re preventing information overload to users.

2. Investment in Simple Textures

If you’re looking for minimalistic effects for a website, view the various textures you use. Textures include the use of different formatting, like highlights and shadows, glossing and etching, diagonals and 3D animation. These formats may be needed because of the website’s content, but if you overdo any of these textures, you are getting away from the minimalist view of a website. There are creative companies in Philadelphia that know what to do to create a minimalistic website and how to follow through with the look.

3. Evaluate Font Choice

It can be difficult to get overly creative with minimalism as there is not a lot to experiment with but you can work with the fonts, particularly with their style and size in a design. The style you use will rely on the type of brand. There are several fonts that you can use for minimal effects. A Sans Serif font like Arial is one of the fonts that provide a minimalist effect. A font’s size brings awareness to words and it provides for optimization of movement on a website.

4. Color Blocking Use

Too many colors or shades put together on a webpage overwhelm the purpose of minimalism. Turn to color blocking to bring color to webpages. Choose two to three contrasting shades to offset the range of colors. Just two or three contrasting shades can give you solid colors rather than the entire range of the spectrum. Using solid colors that overlap one another is definitely one way to get a minimalistic and a direct effect.

5. Labeling Menus

It’s necessary that menus and links be appropriately labeled. A user needs guidelines to go by. You want the right information to lead a user to where and what. So, identifying menus and links is important. Traffic to a website is lost when a user is unable to figure out or decipher the various menus, drop downs and lists.

6. Using the Perfect Images

Images are an essential part of any webpage. Starting from the head banner right down to product or service demonstrations, the images you use on the site are critical to the survival of your site’s reputation. If you’re going for minimalistic design, the images must be in line and consistent with the idea. They need to be bright and deliver the message of your brand, but free from too many elements or clustering of colors.

7. Focus on a Core Point

Focusing on a distinct or core point of a website is important with a site’s home page. It’s the chief attraction. With minimalism, you want to stay away from crowding the home page with information. You want to stay true to core point, which is the lead in to the point of the business. A main or core point could be the brand or it can be the brand logo or catchphrase, or it could be any other piece of information applicable to the website.

8. Add Creative Elements

The purpose of minimalism is to remain within the limits of what it allows. You can incorporate creativity and appealing aspects within the graphics. That comes as objects, abstract features, symmetrical shapes and other options.

9. Eliminate added Details

Minimalism’s basic mainstay is knowing what to eliminate from a website and having the courage to do just that. There is always excess that is appropriate for incorporation, but not every single thing needs to be there just to draw the attention of a user.

10. Position Content

In minimalistic design, putting the right content in the right position adds to the effect of a true minimalistic website. Any necessary content should be at the very beginning in the largest and brightest display of fonts. Images and content should enhance one another. Aligning content in the right way can do wonders for a website and users will return to happily participate.

Minimalism as a Concept

Designing a website with minimalism in mind is crucial to conveying the idea of a contemporary design. Emphasis is on the practicality and streamlining of content. Visual appeal will depend on restraint and substance. If you want a minimalistic design on a website, you’ll make the content of web pages easy for a user to access and beneficial at the same time.

When you look at the 10 principles for success with minimalism in web design, perhaps you may need the help of a Philadelphia branding and design agency. If you require assistance, contact Hyland Graphic Design & Advertising. They can help with every aspect of your minimalistic web design. Call us at (484) 879-6145. You’ll be happy you did.