Web Minimalism Means…
…to some, it means liberal use of clean, negative space. Hierarchical typography. Squared alignment. Consistent color scheme.
WordPress theme designer Curt Ziegler’s recent Webdesign tuts+ article hits on all those and more. His vision: a usable web presence free of unnecessary clutter.
Fighting the battle against clutter is something every designer undertakes, whether it’s on their own site or when designing for a client. Your web site’s design should enhance your site’s purpose by putting the focus on the content and being usable by everyone. Taking the extra time to ensure no detail is left overlooked will produce an effective and attractive website.
To me it means a ‘back to basics’ approach to design. Any design. Web, mobile, paper, whatever your canvas.
Last Saturday, I watched the Florida State vs. Miami football game and heard Kirk Herbstreit mention blocking-and-tackling fundamentals as a core reason why the Seminoles demolished the Canes in their own backyard.
What does that mean? Of course they were blocking and tackling. Isn’t that a given? The very essence of the sport? Why bring it up?
Because so many team lose sight of the basics. So many teams win with flash and pizazz that they lose sight of what wins championships: a fundamental approach to the things that teams must not un-learn without the risk of implosion.
I can hear my high school football coach now: wrap up! Translation: tackling isn’t worth a damn if you can’t square your body to the runner, hit low, and wrap your arms around him with opposite force. It’s one of the first lessons in pee-wee football, but one of the easiest to lose sight of, to un-learn.
The blocking and tackling of design
In much the same way, we lose sight of the purpose behind our designs. Ad revenue, ‘filler’ content, SEO, sometimes the very functionality itself, gets in the way of user-centered design.
That’s why, every few months, I pull out one of the most trusted texts I ever bought when first learning the fundamentals, The Non-Designer’s Design Book, by Robin Williams.
What Ziegler writes is reflective of Williams’ core principles:
- Contrast: often the most important visual attraction on a page. If elements are not the same, make them look very different
- Repetition: repeat visual elements of the design throughout to develop organization and strengthen unity
- Alignment: place nothing on a page arbitrarily. Make every element have an intended connection to one another
- Proximity: related items should be grouped closely to organize information, reduce clutter, and provide clear structure.
Such simple principles with such profound effects on our work. Yet, at the same time, so easy to lose sight of them as we develop our requirements and refine our craft.
Stay basic my friends…blocking and tackling….
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