2017 December 11 Archive - EXEIdeas

Doing more with less is the spirit of minimalism that dominates the sphere of designers who believe in the concept. Although the idea applies to different areas of life and work, we will concentrate our discussion on how minimalistic designs have become a trend in web design as well as mobile applications. If you look at the website designs today, you would observe that people are trying to stuff it less while allowing more free space. The technique comprises of optimizing the design elements in a way that makes the presentation short and concise but effective in conveying the message. The idea is not to make the design features scanty but use only as much necessary without compromising on communication aspect. Designs are now stylish but not overloaded.Minimalism – The Characteristics That Define It:The fundamentals of minimalist design rest on simplicity and clarity, opine the experts at ProfitSurgeSEO. Minimalist design attaches much importance to the composition and proportions that are responsible for creating the capabilities of being expressive in smaller spaces.As the target is to be thrifty in using space, it is only natural that you would find large amounts of empty or unused areas in the design. However, there is a clear focus on high visual hierarchy, and there is an urge to ensure defined functionality of every element used in the design.Typical of minimalist design, the typography becomes a significant element of design that helps to achieve the business goals through deft variations.Another aspect that defines this style of designing is that the attention ratio to core details is very high and there is no place for any non-functional elements in the design.Trends In Web Design:The user-friendliness of minimalist design is the reason for its popularity in web design. Users can see the core elements of the user interface and can engage in a purposeful and intuitive journey. The uncluttered look of minimalist user interface enhances its sophistication that leads to aesthetic satisfaction, which is a core element of desirable user experience. We now look into some of the best practices in minimalist design.Flat Design:To keep designs neat and less cumbersome without compromising on usability, the trend of using flat, two-dimensional images as opposed to skeuomorphic images that are highly detailed and realistic, is on the rise. Thus, we see the spread of flat designs in all kinds of digital designs including website making. Flat images have lesser curves and elements and avoid shadows, highlights, texture or gradients. Regardless of the sizes and resolutions, such images, icons, buttons, and illustrations give a neat look. Designers use the simplicity to their advantage in enhancing visual harmony and usability of user interfaces. However, you must keep in mind that flat elements of the visual interface are part of the minimalist approach but not necessarily the only way to express minimalism. The flat design is only a technique for achieving the minimalist goal.Expressive And Bold Typography:Besides color, size, and shape, typography is one of the core visual elements in minimalistic designs that besides helping in communicating the content to users also set the style and enhances visual performance. The typography acquires much importance to designers who aim to make concise use of graphics to achieve the sleek and smart appearance of the design. Designers take their time to match and mix the combinations, sizes and testing the pairs. Types and fonts are strong graphic elements, which combine with colors to create general elegance. Typography is also essential to enhance legibility and readability, which are critical features of any design.Frugal Choice Of Colors:When designing an interface, you cannot deny the vast potential of color in creating emotional and creative links between the user and the product. Minimalist designers restrict the use of colors. They would prefer the use of fewer colors and may even go monochrome (single color). The lack of variety of colors prevents viewers getting distracted, and the color that is in use gathers more strength. You would find this approach useful for interfaces that want users to concentrate on actions like buying, subscribing, and starting to use donating. Limited use of colors makes the colors stronger in the psychological perspective by transferring emotions of users as viewed from their side.Enhanced User Concentration:The most prominent benefit derived from the minimalistic approach is that such interfaces strengthen user concentration. There is no fear of diluting concentration of diverting the attention of users, as too many colors, details, motion, shades, and other decorative elements are absent. The attention ratio also increases and it facilitates users to solve their problems quickly while navigating through the website.Minimalism is good and effective but you have to use it with discretion provided it helps to realize the business goals.About the Author:Charlie Brown is a seasoned web designer, and you get a glimpse of him creativity by viewing the website ProfitSurgeSEO. An artist by profession in the early stages of him career, love for technology drew him into web designing that he has been doing for more than ten years. A homemaker at heart, he loves spending time with him family.Find Me On GooglePlus