A Beginner’s Guide to Minimalist Design

I have always been an advocate of the clean and simple – it is how my mind works most clearly. However, just like most tasks in life, there are different tools for different jobs, and design is the same way. In this post I will share the minimalist design practices that I have found to be helpful in creating clean and simple websites, templates, and graphics – communicating what is necessary in a limited space.

Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains. ~Steve Jobs

What is Minimalist Design?

Minimalist design refers to reducing an item to its necessary elements, conveying a message of simplicity. This is a trend that is taking the design world by storm because it emphasizes a focus on space, simplicity, and clean typography, which is refreshing to the eyes of the designer and viewer. You may notice that minimalism is applied to many different forms of design – including building architecture, paintings, among other artistic designs. The primary focus of what is discussed here is the relation to graphic design.

Elements of Minimal Design

Like the construction of a building, there are important elements that either make or break the minimalist approach. Here I outline some of the commonly used approaches for these design elements.

Contrast

Create a strong contrast between elements. Black, white and gray are the most common choices because they create the greatest natural distinction between elements. Contrast also relates to the size of fonts – headings, subheadings, and content. The point is to create a design of natural element distinction.

Space

Allow enough space so that each element can “breathe.” Each element of the design should have enough room to stand on its own without camping out in someone else’s neighborhood.

Organization

Think about your design before you begin – don’t sacrifice your design due to a lack of knowledge or understanding. There are plenty of experts on the internet that you can reference. One of the best ways to stay organized is to use a grid to contain each page element. This is true for web design and document design – including emails. Tables are your friend. If you are going to use borders use a thin-weighted line. Another option is to pad and color the table cells and then use a table border that matches the background. This allows the grid to contract the rest of the page through a simple change in color.

Color

The way that you use color is extremely important. It takes seven seconds to make a first impression. While all elements are important, in my opinion color is the first element to strike someone’s impression of your site. As mentioned previously, minimal design is all about contrast. A great way to create this contrast through color is to develop a backdrop with a slightly contrasted light or dark hue and then find one special color to “pop” on your pages. By creating a light or dark background, you will ensure that the images on your page “pop.” This will do a few things for the viewer – put their eyes at rest, show them where to focus immediately, and I truly feel that the clean appearance of your site or document will also lend to enhanced credibility of the author.

Visuals

Visuals should be dominant and adhere to the contrast principle. Dominance means means that you should use visuals sparingly – only to draw attention where needed. Visuals are not limited to images or graphics, but can also be a prominent text boxes or fonts with a color and size to standout.

Typography

I love typography and struggle to keep this element description brief. Font plays a major role in creating a clean and easy-to-understand design. I am truly obsessed with typography and have spent many hours (and collectively months) of time researching typography. When selecting a minimalist font, look for fonts with clean lines and simple strokes. Most minimalist designs use a sans serif font. I recommend that you use 1-2, and very rarely 3, varying fonts – selecting one for headings and one for body text. For body typography, look for fonts that have a clean line-weight. For headings, look for fonts that are slightly fancy but not too outlandish.