The key to minimalist website design is that nothing is on the website except for the things that absolutely need to be there, anything that is not essential to the sites goal is removed. No clutter, no confusion, no mess and you know what the site is about almost instantly after viewing it. A good designer is one who knows how to select only the few key elements, focus entirely on them and forget about the rest. There is no reason to fill a page and pack it full of content, just because you can. In fact, the less content on the page, the more likely all the content will be read. Where as the more content on the page, the more likely none of the content will be read. A good rule of thumb is to always think twice about what is really important for the site and what can be omitted, don't be afraid to leave out your entire life story on the 'About' page, just hit some key points instead.
A bonus of minimalist design is that with less elements on the site, the focus and attention goes to just those things, attention is not divided and those few key elements will be more likely to be done just right. Increasing the overall quality of the site and it's content because let's face it, if anything in a minimalist design isn't done right, it will stand out, and not in a good way.
What's with all the whitespace? Whitespace is a crucial element of minimalist design. Things need to be spaced evenly and be well balanced, whitespace is not to be frowned upon, it should be embraced. Every possible piece of real estate on a site does not need to have something on it, if it doesn't have a purpose and it doesn't get you closer to your websites goals, it should be omitted.
How minimalist should I go? You know your design has achieved its minimalist 'sweet spot' when there are no more elements you can remove without affecting the site's ability to accomplish its goals.
Interested in a minimalist website design? Contact Red Lace Design today to get started.
