Minimalism as an art style originated in the 60s of the last century. America became his homeland. The main features of minimalism are the simplicity of forms of expression, as well as a literal, objective approach.

The term "minimalism" was coined by the British philosopher and art critic Richard Walheim. He singled out this direction, analyzing the work of artists who go in their works by the least interference in the world around them.

The origins of minimalism lie in such movements as pop art and suprematism. The development of the direction was also influenced by the work of K. Malevich and the trends of the Bauhaus school.

Main features

Gradually, minimalism moved away from all other styles of painting. As a result, its main features were formed. This is primarily the expressiveness of colors, as well as smoothness and geometricity.

Russian constructivism, in the wake of the increased interest in it, encourages artists to widely use industrial materials to express their ideas. Picturesque works are often characterized by asymmetry, the repetition of various geometric shapes. The space of the picture, as a rule, is simple and unloaded.

Color in minimalism performs the task of zoning space, and not expressing emotions or conveying mood. The flow is also characterized by the absence of subjectivity and realism: the artist strives to ensure that the viewer independently perceives the object.

Refusal of the necessary in favor of the most necessary

Another feature of minimalism is the desire to demystify art in order to be able to reveal what is its fundamental basis.

At the forefront of the minimalists is the form, with which they convey the depth of color. The plots of the paintings are filled with metaphors and symbols. Painters convey emotions in a non-standard way: they use lines and various geometric shapes for this. Also, the works of minimalists carry some kind of subtext, often have acute social significance.

Minimalist artists

American post-painterly abstract artist Frank Stella (b. 1936) lived primarily in New York, where he began as a draftsman and graphic designer.

In 1959-1960, a series of works by Stella "Black Paintings" was published. As the name implies, the dominance of black lines was a hallmark of the paintings.

This creative upsurge of the artist was noticed by the owner of the New York gallery Leo Castelli, who realized the genius of the master and exhibited his paintings at home.

The Black Paintings were followed by the Aluminum Paintings and then the Copper Paintings. In memory of the terrible historical events, a cycle of works “Polish Villages” is being created.

Frank Stella: "You see what you see"

In his works, Stella preferred black as the dominant color, and generally gravitated towards monochrome, but sometimes he deviated from his traditions and then works were born as in the Concentric Squares cycle, in which polychromy and relief appeared.

Frank Stella has received the U.S. National Medal of the Arts and the International Sculpture Center's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015) was an American painter and sculptor, one of the main exponents of minimalism, hard edge and color field painting.

Kelly's work is characterized by exceptional clarity and simplicity. Clear abstract contours of geometric surfaces are made in intense color.

In the late sixties he worked as a sculptor, later he began to use metal in his works. In the artist's work there are a number of works in the genres of pop art and surrealism.

" I don't want to draw people. I want to draw something that I have never seen before"

Ellsworth Kelly died on December 27, 2015 at the age of 92. He was awarded the US National Medal of Arts.

The Spanish artist Anton Lamasares (b. 1954) expressed his thoughts in his works in a deliberately primitive form.

Due to the lack of towels, he used wood, ribbed cardboard, packaging and varnish. Thus developed his personal artistic style that attracted the attention of critics. Initially fond of expressionism, later developed into a kind of minimalism.

At the age of 19, he participated for the first time in an exhibition of young artists held at Praza da Princesa in Vigo. Since then, exhibitions have been held a huge number of times in different countries of the world.

The artist's works are held in numerous renowned cultural institutions such as the Reina Sofia Art Center, the Galician Center for Modern Art, the Madrid Museum of Modern Art and the Marugami Hirai Museum in Japan, as well as in many private collections and foundations.

Jose Esteban Basso

Chilean artist Jose Basso can be called the standard of minimalism. The artist himself calls his style "ritual painting". His paintings are laconic, restrained and concise, allowing you to relax, relax, without thinking about what you see. A minimum of objects, pure colors, no detail, no texture, just frozen infinity….

The master's works evoke only positive emotions, filling the viewer with light and warmth and allow you to enjoy ease and simplicity, you can safely meditate in front of them.

In addition to painting, the artist is also involved in photography and computer graphics, and of course, all these works are also characterized by restraint and laconicism.

Flow evolution

Gradually developed such areas of minimalism as neo-minimalism and post-minimalism. The first is characterized by inaccuracy, vagueness, and the representatives of the second are distinguished by their desire not so much to convey the idea itself, but to focus on the method of such transmission.

Purpose of minimalism

The significance of this direction in art lies in the struggle against academicism and dogmatism, the desire for simplicity, the complete rejection of all sorts of excesses in favor of the depth of meaning. To do this, artists are revising existing canons, abandoning old rules in favor of new ideas for conveying color, and also using images of geometric shapes.

Minimalism today

In our time, the ideas of minimalism have penetrated various industries, for example, interior design, landscape design, fashion design and more. Also, minimalism has not bypassed information technologies, for example, web design and software (development of software interfaces). Quite often we can see the results of the influence of minimalism in the development of technical solutions, for example, in the automotive industry, in household and engineering equipment.

In our wall painting works, our studio also sometimes uses the principles of minimalism.

Minimalism in graphic design is a simplification of the composition, an emphasis on an important detail.

Nothing superfluous and a lot of empty space. Basically, works made in this style use 1-2 colors and several shades of these colors. A clear font does not carry a visual load and uses no more than 2-3 typefaces.

"Faster than you think" (It's faster than you think)

Minimalism originated in the 1960s in America. Over time, this style has changed, but is still popular. Paintings, clothes, interiors… you can find it everywhere. Today we will talk about minimalism in graphic design.

Today, minimalism as a style in graphic design is not yet able to compete with other abstract and loaded styles (grunge, vintage, pop art, etc.). it is not used extensively enough, but in the near future, minimalism may catch up and even overtake some styles, as people have already “overeaten” abstract and bright, bulky and loaded graphic materials.

Criteria for minimalism

So, what is minimalism directly in graphic design? This is a simplification of the composition, the use of free space in their works, an emphasis only on the main details and their highlighting, a simple presentation of topics, conditions, products.

Ergonomics / usability
Minimalism affects criteria such as ergonomics, i.e. using less to create the desired composition, observing the relationship between the elements of the subject (for example: 2 or more different elements in an illustration), creative work (for example: graphic performance of several products of one manufacturer in one material), etc.

Speaking accessible, this is: the correct and simple use of only the necessary - removing all unnecessary (or not introducing it at all) we get free space. The correct setting of free space in work gives ergonomics, does not distract and concentrates on what is needed. In other words, we get usability at work.

Think well over the design elements, it is better to pay attention to one element than to "rivet" ten more.

Use of color

Color in minimalist graphic works is an important criterion, namely color contributes to perception. Often 1-2 primary colors and several shades of selected colors are used for one work. The most commonly used colors are white, black, gray and yellow, as well as their many shades. But this is not a rule, no one restricts the use of only classic colors.

Sometimes, when reading various articles about minimalism in design, one has to observe people saying that it is worth strictly limiting the palette to black and white. In my opinion, this is a misconception, in this direction you can use any colors, the main thing is the observance of the composition (subject or purpose of the work) with the selected colors.

Font and text / typography

Typography is also quite an important criterion for minimalist design. Here the choice of typefaces depends on the subject or purpose of the work. The font should be meaningful, visually accessible and not carry a visual burden. It is advisable to use no more than 2-3 typefaces (for example: 1. title, 2. text, 3. callouts and copyrights; or 1. title, 2. slogan, 3. text).

In general, the use of typography directly in minimalism (graphic design) is quite flexible, you can choose a non-standard font, make an accent in the form of increasing the necessary text, increase indents, etc. But in this case, the main thing is the correct selection to the subject and the conclusion of the text in the composition. For example, I prefer standard fonts (Arial, Helvetica, Garamond, Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Times) with changes in the necessary parts (for example, in illustrations or printing). I like the strict use of the font. Well, in general, it all depends on the subject or direction of work, and the headset can be different.

The main thing is to limit the number of typefaces, the correct positioning of the text in the work (placement, position, indents, ratio to other elements).

Conclusion by criteria

It is worth noting: the composition without unnecessary elements (only the necessary), the use of free space, the choice of color (s), based on the subject or working conditions. Less variegated colors (better to use strong or soft colors/tones/shades), less number of colors, typeface suitable for the subject or working conditions, fewer fonts used, giving emphasis to the font (size, indents, positioning and placement, correlation with other elements ), the correct position of elements and highlighting important details.

On my own behalf, I will say that everyone has a vision of minimalism in their imagination, and everyone can have their own. The minimalist direction has no standards, the main thing is to avoid excess, use less and maintain functionality. Those. simple work with the desired effect (advertising, illustration, cover, etc.).

Even if it is impossible to remove unnecessary elements from the work, you can use not the style of minimalism, but its properties: with the help of free space, the right colors and font accent, you can highlight (submit) the main details of the work, thereby taking unnecessary elements into the background ...

Examples of Minimalism in Graphic Design Industries

Well, now it's worth taking a look at the work in the minimalist style in the branches of graphic design.

Packaging design (products)

Shown here is an example of packaging design simplification - creating in a minimalist style.

Polygraphy: posters

Graphic posters (posters) for films in the style of minimalism.

Printing: book covers

Graphic design of book covers in a minimalist style.

Illustrations / computer wallpaper

Minimalism in computer graphics, namely in the performance of wallpapers for the OS desktop.

You've probably heard the term "minimalism" here and there, especially in the last few years, but what is it really and how can we get the most out of it?

Minimalism can be described as stripping away all unnecessary elements and focusing on what is needed. As such, minimalism attracts success.

While minimalism is often simple on the outside, a lot of thought, practice, and time goes into creating and designing a minimalist object. So, here are some ways you can use minimalism.

1. Get consistent

A minimalist logo can be incredibly useful when it comes to creating a brand identity. Use this bar design from Simon McWhinney as an example. By keeping the logo very simple and the color palette minimal, the design becomes flexible enough to be used in all branded media quite seamlessly, creating a seasoned and very memorable brand.

2. Explore hidden connections

Using minimalism doesn't mean your design has to be a little less creative. In fact, when you're not bogged down in details, you often get a chance to explore and play with the clever relationships hidden in your design. Look at the branding done by Interband for the Australian Opera, the minimalist design explored the well thought out connection between the words "OPERA", "OPERA AUSTRALIA" and "OZ OPERA".

3. Play with spatial relationships

Minimalism can allow you to see the spatial relationships in your design from a perspective you haven't seen before. Consider how your design interacts with other elements to create a more expansive design, such as these business cards lined up by Trevor Finnegan.

4. Be smart

Minimalism does not mean the absence of illustrative elements, but rather a careful choice of when and where to use them. By working with illustrative elements that turn the company name into a logo, similar to what Frame Creative did with this branding, you can create a very visual and also very minimalist design.

5. Use Precision

Minimalism is often about stripping away all unnecessary stuff and focusing on communication. Take a look at how these business cards from Jake Frey are made, displaying his contact details neatly and accurately, with no flashy visuals necessary.

6. Use a modular grid

As you already know, grids are very handy (some might say vital) for many kinds of designs, and this is especially true for minimalism. If your design doesn't have too many elements, this is a good opportunity to play around with your modular grid. Take note of this cutting-edge design by Jessica Giboine, which uses grid layout to create a strong sense of rigorously copied blocks of text with headings and graphics, generating a clean, simple, and effective design.

7. Let's get functional

Minimalism can be just superb for functionality. A neat, clear, and not overcrowded design can serve as an easy navigation, as is done in James Cape's content page design. The minimalist design and clear typographic hierarchy makes navigating through page content fast, simple, and functional.

8. Find your balance

The relationship between visual elements such as photos and typographic elements is important to get it right. Good design often makes sure that no element overwhelms another without good reason. In this example post from Mother Design, simpler photos are paired with large, informative amounts of text, while full-bodied, large images are paired with small blocks of text, creating balance and harmony between pages.

9. Break Some Rules

As already noted, minimalism gives you a specific chance to experiment with your design in ways that you might not have noticed before, and sometimes that means breaking the rules a little. Take this logo from Rabbi White as an example, showing half of the logo upside down as a bit of an outrageous decision, it creates something that would look unreadable in any other example. But thanks to the incredible simplicity and minimalistic nature of the brand, this crazy solution works really well as a visual element.

10. Visualize your font

Font is an important weapon to keep in mind, especially when it comes to minimalism. It can act as a visual element, especially when it's slightly modified to fit the situation, such as shown in an open spread from Italian Vogue. Making the typeface look like water ripples creates a strong visual impact without the use of any images, while keeping the final design simple and neat.

11. White space is the right space

White space, also known as "negative space" can sometimes look like just empty paper space, but that's not entirely true! When used correctly, white space can help balance your design, eliminate clutter, and help it breathe. Take a look at this book design example from Studioahamed, where the idea of ​​white space was taken as the basis and used to the maximum, resulting in a classic minimalist design.

12. Explore your options

What could be more minimal than an all-white palette? Design doesn't have to be limited to the screen of a monitor, and by using it when the product goes into print, you can give it a unique flavor and make it stand out from everyone else. By taking into account text printing or embossing effects, your printed matter can complement and enhance a minimalist design, as illustrated by Adam Buente's example.

13. Texture

When studying minimalism, it's easy to see that, as a general rule, to be minimalist you should mostly use flat-print, but this is not a strict requirement. Adding texture to your design can add depth and effectiveness to your desires without going over the top with minimalism. Texture works definitely well when balanced with neat, calm colors, just like the website/branding example from Watts Design above, who use texture in balance with simple photography and branding to create a very effective design.

14. Think outside the box

Quite literally. Minimalism can allow you to be more playful with the layout and composition of your elements, as shown in a post by Gregmadeit. Positioning the type on the page border creates a unique eye-catching effect without compromising the readability of the text.

15. Be open

When you have a few lit. "fighting to be seen" elements, you have to be a lot more open with your message and communication in general. This is especially true when it comes to web design, when we all go and browse the pages, a simple message with a guide to action, as shown on the Nine Sixty's website, helps to give the reader an idea of ​​who they are to you in the same moment. .

16. Use scale

When using minimalism, you have to say exactly what your audience's eyes will be focused on first, and one way to achieve this is scale. Look at the elements of the Saturdays Magazine spread, the eye immediately jumps to the largest element: the quote on the right page, then the photo, then the text. A simple design that is only to scale will help you dictate the correct reading order for your audience.

17. Not everything is black and white

Many people believe that monochromatic color palettes are all that are used in minimalism, but this is not entirely true. Color can be used to create an eye-catching design without going overboard as long as the palette is kept very small (1-3 colors are best). Check out Moruba's example where the bright yellow combined with the stark black and white logo work together to make a really successful and striking (while still minimalist) design.

18. Be mobile

Minimalist design can really help increase the fluidity of your ideas, especially in practical terms. For example, this branding from Buro Ufho consists of a simple logo with a serif typeface and two blocks of color fills. This noteworthy branding has a high level of flexibility within its color palette; the color of the diagonal blocks can be changed quite easily without losing any of the branding features, all thanks to the simple yet unique minimalist design.

19. Use symbolism

Minimalism is a good chance for you to explore the depth of symbolism with your designs. Try and think about the object, the things associated with it, what the object is made for. For example, the design by Jennifer Carrow for the cover of the modern book “Against Happiness”. By transforming the font into a sad face symbol, a smart and memorable design is obtained.

20. Iconography

Icons are useful little icons that most of us use every day, from application icons to icons on the computer's taskbar. Icons can be used very effectively in a minimalist world. They can enhance accessibility, reduce the amount of text or fonts that are on your page, and help other users perceive your design visually. Take a look at how this website from Spab Rice uses icons on the page to aid navigation and explain their content.

21. Think Typographically

Less is more, especially when it comes to minimalist typography. Using 1-3 fonts is your best chance of developing a minimalistic and functional design, just like the Kalpakian example did. Minimal use of backgrounds and moderate use of fonts creates readability

22. Small changes. Big reward

The beauty of minimalism is, in fact, that small changes can make a big difference. Take, for example, the logo for The Pines. A simple grotesque font combined with just two stripes creates a small but beautiful visual effect that does not spoil the originality or minimalism of the logo.

23. Focus

Don't forget why you started designing: the content. Minimalism works extremely well when it shows content in a simple design, allowing the viewer's attention to immediately go to the page's content rather than its appearance. See how Darrin Higgins' minimalist web page design just keeps the content in focus.

24. Contrast

A design with a lot of contrast will help bring your visuals and content to the fore and make for an easy-to-read design. In this example, a page by Mads Burcharth, the black background of the page contrasts with the rich color of the content images, creating a simple yet charming design.

25. Design for the future

Minimalism can be a vital component to your design as it has the potential to be immortal. The fewer elements your design includes, the less likely they are to go out of style or out of date. A famous and perfect example of this is Google. Look at the screenshots of the Google page 10 years ago and today. The small changes made, the white spaces, the focus on content and the minimalism of the website keep this design timeless.

In conclusion, minimalism is not a necessary aesthetic item or style that you can recreate, but it is the way you think about your design.

In typography, try to limit your use of fonts in order to create a more consistent and less confusing design. Give importance to your use of verticals and sheet layout for greater readability.

In the language of color, use monochromatic schemes in all their forms, but don't feel limited by them. In certain situations, adding color here and there can really help highlight the main points of your design and draw focus for important elements.

Finally, try to decide what can be left out, whether it's a color from your palette or an image from your composition. Decide what can be abbreviated, what can be replaced with something more concise. Just erase as much as you can until what's really needed is left.

What to do if your corridor is so narrow that a closet, chest of drawers or even a shoe rack does not fit there? Of course, you can accept and leave the space unused, or you can show a little imagination and play with the shape and color of the wall, turning it into some kind of functional space.

So, we need the hallway to look beautiful and be functional at the same time. Not an easy task, but we have imagination!

The blank wall that we have is an excellent material for work. It is enough to take a creative look at the problem of space planning. First, we need to divide it into several parts. This can be done with the help of color, light, as well as various hangers and hooks. At the same time, you can use non-standard hangers, for example, as shown in the picture, use paintings with black and white drawings, on which to fix hooks for clothes. It will look impressive and very functional. In our minimalist design, it is better to give preference to black and white colors, because it is ideal for small spaces.

The horizontal strip in the form of photo-hangers will be our main decorative element, and the main guide in our design. In the middle of the corridor, it is better to make the main recess, on which you can hang the main frame with a photo or an LCD monitor. Below the strip of photographs, you can symmetrically place shelves on which we will put various little things. And under the shelves you can place stylish shoe boxes.

A good design element of our corridor will be magnetic boards that can be hung next to the door. You can leave keys on them, as well as attach reminders of important dates or cases.

An excellent addition to our interior can be electric lamps made in the form of metal pipes. They will not only give additional light in the corridor, but will also be able to vertically delimit its space, which will give the interior a unique atmosphere.

This design will appeal to all lovers of simplicity and modernity. However, it can be improved to your liking, show a little imagination, experiment with details and colors and create your own design masterpiece in the hallway.

PR: wait... L: wait... CY: wait...

A user-friendly and attractive website is the basic rule of modern web design. To achieve a good result allows the application of the principles of minimalism.

In this article, we will explain minimalism in web design, how to apply it correctly, what to consider when designing minimalistic interfaces, and also explain why sometimes “less is more”.

Minimal Design: A Brief History

Some web designers mistakenly think of minimalism primarily as an aesthetic choice. To avoid this trap, let's clarify the roots of this movement.

Despite the fact that this is a fairly new trend for design, its main ideas have been around for a long time. When discussing minimalist design, one immediately comes to mind the traditional Japanese culture that values ​​balance and simplicity. Japanese architecture, interior design, art and graphic design embody minimalism.

"Victorious wind. Clear Day" by the Japanese artist Katsushiki Hokusai (1830). Using simple colors creates a sense of calm

As a Western movement, minimalism began its existence in the early 20th century. Influenced by the introduction of modern materials such as glass and steel, many architects have begun to incorporate minimalist designs into their buildings. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a German-American architect, was one of the pioneers of the minimalist movement. He is credited with the first application of the phrase "less is more" to architectural design.

German Pavilion in Barcelona, ​​designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1929

The concept of “less is better” has moved from architecture to other arts and industries: interior and industrial design, painting and music. As a visual design trend, minimalism became popular in the 1960s as artists moved towards geometric abstraction in painting and sculpture. The artistic movement found its expression in works associated with the Bauhaus school. One of the famous minimalist artists who influenced the movement was Donald Judd, whose artwork is full of simple shapes and color combinations.

In various fields of fine art, the key principle of minimalism left only the essential part of the function to focus the attention of the recipient, as well as enhance the overall elegance. As Donald Judd said: Form, volume, color, surface - this is something in itself. It cannot be hidden as part of a completely different whole. Forms and materials should not change depending on their context».

In his work, Judd sought autonomy and clarity for the constructed object and the space it created.

What is "minimalistic web design"?

Today, minimalism is emerging as a powerful technique in modern web design. It became popular amid a reaction to the trend towards increasing complexity in design. Visual complexity has been proven to affect the user experience of a site: the more elements in a design, the more complex it will look to the user. When applied correctly, minimalism can help us focus our designs on simplifying user tasks. A study by EyeQuant suggests that clean design results in a lower bounce rate. Minimalism has brought additional benefits to websites, such as faster loading times and better compatibility with different screen sizes.

Perhaps one of the most famous examples of minimalism in web design is Google Search. Google has been prioritizing the simplicity of its interfaces since its beta offering in the 1990s. The home page is completely designed around a central search function. Everything that does not work for branding is removed.

The Google home page hasn't changed much in 15 years.

The principle of simplicity may lead to the false belief that minimalism is not difficult to implement, but in fact it means much more than just "less." Let's define the characteristics of minimalism.

Only important

A minimalist strategy in web design is to simplify interfaces by removing elements and content that do not support user tasks. To create a truly minimalistic interface, the designer needs to strictly arrange the elements, showing only the most important of them and discarding everything that distracts users from the main thing (for example, unnecessary embellishment). Every element in a design, be it an image or text, has a purpose; it should not be used unless it adds further clarity to the message.

At the same time, make sure that by removing or hiding unnecessary content, you do not interfere with basic user tasks. The idea is to make the message more clear, not hidden. So, design around the content and leave enough visible elements (such as the main navigation) so that users don't get lost.

negative space

Unsurprisingly, the most common element of minimalism is the lack of elements. Negative, or white, space (Negative/White Space) is a distinguishing feature of minimalism, it is this that gives it its power of impact. Negative space is simply empty space between visual elements. Having white space means more emphasis on the elements present. In Japanese culture, there is a "ma principle": the space between objects is perceived as a means of emphasizing the value of these objects.

While negative space is often referred to as white, it doesn't have to be that color. Some sites use full color backgrounds.

The main design element associated with minimalism in most people's minds is negative space.

Visual characteristics

In a minimalist design, every detail matters. What you decide to leave is very important.

flat texture

Minimalism often resorts to flat textures, icons, and graphic elements. Flat interfaces do not use obvious lighting effects, shadows, gradients, or other types of textures that would make elements look glossy or 3D.

Minimalist visual hierarchy with an emphasis on flat UI elements is quite common on modern websites

Catchy photos and illustrations

Images are the most visible type of art used in minimalist design. They provide emotional connections and create a special atmosphere. But a photograph or illustration must follow the principles of minimalism. The wrong image (photo with a lot of details or distracting elements) will offset the benefits of the minimalistic interface surrounding it and destroy the integrity of the structure.

All characteristics of minimalism should be expressed in images

Limited color scheme

Color plays a significant role in web design as it is able to establish both informational and emotional connections between a product and a user. Color can create visual interest or grab attention without requiring any additional design elements or graphics. Designers who strive for minimalism tend to make the most of a few chosen colors, and it's not uncommon to use only one color (monochrome color scheme).

As visual information is reduced, the color palette becomes more visible and its impact on the user increases.

Spectacular typography

In addition to color, another major visual element is typography. Bold font instantly draws attention to words and content, helping to create an eye-catching visual impact.

Use typography to convey meaning and create visual interest

Contrast

Since the goal of minimalist design is ease of use, high contrast textiles or graphics can be a good choice. High contrast can direct the user's attention to important elements and make text more readable.

Often, minimalist design uses only one color as an accent, highlighting the most important elements of the page.

Best Examples

Because minimalist design requires the same level of clarity and functionality as "normal" design, but with fewer elements, there are some problems for developers.

Achieve a Single Composite Center

The philosophy of minimalism is centered around the idea of ​​design around content: content is king and visual structure should be a good backdrop for it. The goal is to make the message clearer, not only by eliminating distractions, but by focusing on what's important. In this case, a strong focal area is of particular importance.

Follow the "one concept per page" rule and center it around one visual

Create high expectations with the top of the screen

An area on a page that is visible before any action needs to be taken encourages users to explore the site further. To guarantee this development, you need to provide interesting, intriguing content. Place meaningful content at the top of the screen with plenty of white space around it, then increase the amount of content on the page as you scroll down.

This is what the Apple home page looks like above the fold line.

Write capacious texts

Remove unnecessary. Your text should include only the bare minimum of words necessary to adequately communicate your message.

Get rid of all unnecessary words.

Simplify navigation (but don't hide it)

Minimalism should be simple. One thing that simplifies the user experience is the ability to handle tasks easily and seamlessly. The most contributing factor to this is intuitive navigation. But navigation in a minimalistic interface is a serious problem: in an attempt to remove all unnecessary elements and streamline content, developers partially or completely hide the navigation. The menu icon that expands a full list of items remains a popular choice for many professionals, especially in minimalist web design and mobile user interfaces (User Interface, UI). This often leads to low discoverability of navigation elements. Take the hidden navigation of this website:

Quite often, simple, minimalistic user interfaces carry hidden complexity. In this case, the main navigation options are hidden by default.

Compare with the always-on navigation of this site:

In most cases, always-visible navigation is better for users.

Remember that simple navigation is always one of the main goals of web design. If you're building a minimalist site, make sure your visitors can easily find what they're looking for.

Use functional animation

Like any other element, animation should follow the principles of minimalism: it should be implemented subtly and only when necessary. Good animation has meaning and functionality. For example, you can use animation to save screen space (by showing hidden details on hover). The animation in the example below adds discoverability to the elements and makes the usual task more interesting:

Animation makes interaction with the site more dynamic.

Use minimalism in landing pages and portfolios

While in general the philosophy of content-driven minimalist design applies to every site, sometimes this aesthetic can be inappropriate. Minimalism is well suited for creating portfolio sites and landing pages that have fairly simple goals and relatively little content. Marie Laurent's portfolio is a typical example of what many designers would call a minimalist website.

At the same time, applying minimalism to a more complex site can be difficult. The absence of important elements can harm a site rich in content (low density of information forces the user to scroll further in search of content). The best solution would be to create a landing page in the style of minimalism, leading to more detailed pages.

Conclusion

Minimalistic sites have a simple interface that removes unnecessary elements and content that does not support user tasks. What inspires this design is the combination of usability and high aesthetics: a beautiful, easy-to-navigate website is a powerful communication tool.