Simple does not mean primitive. Less is not lazy. Short doesn't say much. Air does not equal vacuum. Today we are talking about minimalism.

In the book “The More of Less,” Joshua Becker said:

«You don't need more space. You need less things.

Minimalism is often discussed today in various spheres of life and work, and various design directions are no exception. Let's see what its benefits are and points to consider.

What is minimalism?

In reality, minimalism is a broad word that is used in various spheres of human activity. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as "a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) characterized by extreme thinness and simplicity." As it is applied to more and more fields, it maintains its fundamental features: meaningful and simple.

Minimalism as a direction of visual design became especially popular in the 1960s in New York when new and older artists moved towards geometric abstraction in painting and sculpture. The movement found its impression in the artworks associated with Bauhaus, De Stijl, Constructivism and so on. In various spheres of visual arts, the key principle of minimalism left only essential parts of the features to focus the recipient's attention as well as support the overall elegance. Lines, shapes, points, colors, free space, composition — everything must serve its carefully organized function. Today we can find minimalism in a variety of spheres of life: architecture, arts, photography, all types of design, literature, music and even food presentation.

«A shape, a volume, a color, a surface is something in itself. It should not be hidden as part of a quite different whole. Forms and materials should not be altered by their context," said Donald Judd, an American artist associated with minimalism. Working in this style, designers seek to make interfaces simple but not empty, stylish but not overloaded. They tend to use negative space, bold color and font combinations, and multifunctional details making simplicity elegant. The line between simple and primitive is very thin. That's why not all designers risk trying this direction: some may think it looks too decent, others don't find enough ways to show a lot with fewer elements.

Characteristics of minimalism

The main characteristics of minimalism often mentioned by designers include:

• Simplicity

• Clarity

• Expressive visual hierarchy

• High attention to proportions and composition

• Functionality of each element

• Lots of free space

• High ratio of attention to core details

• Typography as a significant design element

• Elimination of non-functional decorative elements

Surely, the list can be continued, but even the given positions show that minimalism in the user interface sounds like a user-friendly trend. Applied wisely, it helps users see the basic elements of the interface and makes the user journey intuitive and useful. On the other hand, minimalist interfaces usually look sophisticated and uncluttered, bringing aesthetic satisfaction as one of the central desirability factors in UI UX design services.

Minimalism practices in digital design

Nowadays, minimalism is one of the widely spread trends in website and mobile application design. The main points to consider can be described with the following practices.

Plain design

Flat design became a big supporter of minimalism in modern digital products. The most prominent feature of this direction is the application of flat 2-dimensional visual details as opposed to highly realistic and detailed skeuomorphic images. Flat images typically use fewer elements and curves, avoiding highlights, shadows, gradients or textures. This approach allows the creation of images, buttons, icons, and illustrations that look clean at different resolutions and sizes. It allows designers to improve the usability and visual harmony of user interfaces.

However, the terms "flat" and "minimalist" should not be substituted for each other, which is often the case today. They are not the same. “Flat” deals with the style of icons, illustration, buttons and other visual elements of the interface in the aspect of gradients, textures, shadows, etc. "Minimalist" has a much broader meaning and deals with the general layout, its composition, the color palette, contrast and all the visual performance techniques that are applied to it. Therefore, flat can be described as one of the design techniques applied in the minimalist approach to creating interfaces.

Monochrome or limited color palette

Color is a feature with great potential in interface design, as it can establish both informative and emotional links between the product and the user. Designers working in minimalism tend to take maximum color options, and in most cases, limit the color palette to monochrome or minimal set of colors. This strengthens the chosen colors and does not distract users with too much variety. This approach is efficient in interfaces that focus users' attention on particular actions such as purchasing, subscribing, donating, starting to use, etc. Furthermore, from a psychological point of view, colors usually transfer certain associations and emotions perceived by users; Stronger colors in this aspect.

Bold and expressive typography

Typography in minimalist design is seen as one of the main visual elements of not only informing users about the content but also establishing style and improving visual performance. Choosing how to use concise graphics, designers usually pay close attention to the choice of typography and never rush into testing pairs, sizes and combinations. In addition to color, fonts and typography are seen as a strong graphic element that contributes to the overall elegance and the emotional message it sends. On the other hand, readability and readability do not lose their leading positions in the question of choice.

Limitation of choice

One of the strong aspects of minimalism in interfaces is improved user concentration. By focusing on functionality and simplicity, pages and screens of this type do not usually overload users' attention with decorative elements, tones, colors, details, movement, in this way, they support a high attention ratio and allow users to quickly solve their problems and navigate through the website or application.

Featured Thematic Visuals

Working on a minimalist user interface, designers do not apply many images, but the ones that are chosen to be used are really prominent, catchy and informative. This approach results in the long and complete search for the “right” image that would cover all those functions and set the required mood instantly. The photo or illustration itself has to follow the principles of minimalism, otherwise choosing the wrong image can ruin the entire integrity of the design.

Concise and intuitive navigation

Navigating minimalist interfaces presents another challenge: designers have to prioritize elements rigorously to display only the elements of the highest importance. There are different techniques to hide the navigation part, but when doing so, it is vital to ensure that users will find what they need easily. That's one of the reasons why the minimalist approach can be criticized: not presenting properly and testing enough, solutions like hamburger menus and hidden design elements can leave some users lost in the journey around the website. Obviously, this is not the best terrain for a positive user experience, so every navigation solution must follow the “measure three times and cut once” philosophy.

Adding air and using negative space

White space (also called negative) in digital design is the term that is more about space rather than color. In minimalism, it is a more effective way to add elegance and mark the central elements. Additionally, in terms of monochromatic or limited color palette, white or negative space plays an important role in creating sufficient contrast and supporting legibility.

Squares

The grid system in minimalist interfaces can be effective in making the layout appear highly organized, especially if the website features a lot of homogeneous content. Another benefit is that the grids are responsive-friendly.

Contrast

Following the philosophy of limits and simplicity, minimalism depends a lot on contrast as a tool for good visual performance. The choice of colors, shapes and placement is often based on contrast as the key feature.

Well, it's easy to see that minimalism has a number of benefits and presents a good approach to creating user-friendly interfaces. However, this does not mean that minimalism applies everywhere: each goal must be achieved by appropriate means. One thing is certain: the more minimalist the interface, the more time and effort the designer must invest to make it clear and functional. The elegance and beauty of minimalism should support the overall goal of providing a positive user experience.