There are beautiful websites splashed with color and images that catch the eye. These colors, images, and typography work together to convey the message that the site is trying to send. Sometimes, less is more. That’s today’s focus as we look at minimalism in website design and how it can offer more concise communication of their message. Let’s examine three different sites and see how they are making most of less.
Minimalism reduces cognitive load
If you have too many programs running on your computer at the same time, it can’t handle the load and will slow down or even crash. Our brains are like computers; We have limited processing powers, so multitasking or just looking at something complicated can be frustrating. It slows us down. Unfortunately, we can’t upgrade our brains to the latest model, so when we get frustrated, we often just quit.
Web designers can solve this problem by prioritizing content and features and eliminating anything that interferes with the user’s attention to them. Websites with a sleek design, fewer choices, and more concise content are so pleasant to use. They are cognitively soothing.
Strip away the unnecessary.
Minimalism focuses attention on the content. Because the site will have fewer objects, it will usually load faster. It will also be more compatible with all screen sizes. These things add to the user experience and will often enhance your search engine optimization. While you strip away the unnecessary, that which is necessary must remain. Use care not to oversimplify to the point that the site becomes unusable. That defeats the point of minimalism.
Keep these things in mind:
- Because visitors will choose to leave or stay on your page based on the first content that they see, place the most relevant content should at the top of a page.
- When selecting imagery for your design, always look for photos or illustrations that follow the principles of minimalism. There are no stock photos or unnecessary details.
- Imagery should have a purpose and act as a focal point, creating balance.
- Use videos only when they have a real purpose and help the user understand the site, the product, or the company. Never auto-play videos.
- Minimalist sites use white space wisely. It can draw the user’s attention to the object that is surrounded by this negative space.
- Choose colors should carefully. Use colors with enough contrast that they are legible.
- Typography should be simple, clear, and readable. Sans Serif fonts are best. Select only one or two fonts. When you think you need more than two fonts, play with the font size and weight of the existing two fonts.
- Keep the site usable. Don’t make it so simple that it gets complicated (such as hidden navigation).
- Even the words are combed through and culled.
Color Theory and Minimalist Design
Don’t be afraid of color when creating a minimalist website. While many designers stick to a monochromatic color palette, it’s fine to use two contrasting colors or even three colors that follow the principles of color theory. Color theory is heavily based on Isaac Newton’s color wheel. The color wheel shows three categories of colors:
- Primary colours (red, blue, yellow),
- Secondary colours which are created by mixing the primary colours (for example, yellow and blue make green)
- Tertiary ones (created by combining primary and secondary colours)