The Power of Minimalism in Web Design

Minimalism is often mistaken for a visual style: lots of white space, thin fonts and very little colour. In practice it is a way of deciding. Every element on a page has to earn its place by helping someone understand or act.

Start with one job per page

Before opening a design tool, write down the single most important thing a visitor should do on the page. Everything that supports that action stays; everything that competes with it needs a very good reason.

Let spacing do the grouping

Borders, boxes and dividers add noise. Consistent spacing groups related items on its own, and a strict spacing scale keeps the whole site feeling calm.

Fewer, stronger type styles

Two typefaces and a handful of sizes are enough for almost any website. Strong contrast between a headline and body text gives hierarchy without decoration.

“Simplicity is not the absence of clutter; it is the presence of clarity.”

— Ken Okafor, Design Director, Fieldwork

Minimal does not mean hidden

Hiding navigation behind icons or removing labels makes a page look clean and work badly. Keep the things people need visible, and remove the things they don’t.

Test with real content

Minimal layouts look perfect with placeholder text. Real headlines, long names and missing images are the true test, so design with them from the first wireframe.