Comments on: "Minimalism" Is Just Designer Speak for Laziness

By: michael hepher

michael hepher — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:16:32 +0000

I guess it must be said that there are a number of kinds of minimalism. I agree that it must be appropriate for the goals of the site in question. However, when the texture/rich design look trend starts to plateau (maybe it already has) then people will be looking for a way to contrast with other top sites. Minimalism is a valid way to ’stand out’. I think we designers often default to ‘more is more’ and regardless, leaving things out unless they ADD to the look is a good exercise. I believe it was Einstein that said “Make a thing as simple as possible, but no simpler”. That philosophy would help us build a cleaner web.

By: ardianzzz

ardianzzz — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:31:37 +0000

i like minimalism-single page design..

By: Alexandr

Alexandr — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:29:53 +0000

Is it possible to name the design of my site a minimalism or it is a delirium all the same?

By: Michael Martin

Michael Martin — Sat, 10 May 2008 01:56:45 +0000

Omition,
Thanks. Your blog looks good. Good luck with it!

By: Omition

Omition — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:16:25 +0000

I do agree with the idea of using minimalism to moderation, but occasionally, if done well, minimalism can be used to create a memorable design. The problem is many people try to create a design that is memorable, and fail because they think the task will be much easier than it is.

Overall, I found this to be an interesting (and inspirational) post.

By: Michael Martin

Michael Martin — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:10:03 +0000

Simon,
But what about the brand itself? Has it ever become less recognizable because of over-minimalism?

In blogs in particular, I think that a unique design holds a lot of merit.

By: Simon

Simon — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:13:05 +0000

Minimalism is not about being lazy. For a business it is all about sales. What you shouldn’t be doing is making a page so cluttered it only distracts and prevents the user from being able to navigate the site.

I have revamped a number of sites recently and for each one that went more minimal the sales increased. For the last 10 years designing websites I’ve tried to live by two main rules:
1. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should
2. K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Stupid)

Both of these work just as well for the web as they do for business.

By: Michael Martin

Michael Martin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:13:41 +0000

Chiya,
Balance is always the key. Keeping the clutter down is great (I had no problem finding my way about your site ), but at the same time, splashing out on a bit of color or a certain graphic can be well worth it sometimes.

By: Chiya

Chiya — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:15:13 +0000

I like this. I try to make mine sort of simple because when it’s cluttered I find it’s disorganized. (I think that’s just something I like.)It’s all about balance. Like you said.

By: Michael Martin

Michael Martin — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:43:36 +0000

Jeff,
You’re right; it’s just another style, but I do love minimalism. My point here wasn’t to attack it; it was to attack simple designs. Branding laziness as minimalism is annoying to see

Web Designer Wall definitely isn’t minimalist; that’s why I listed it. Very little whitespace, but still very readable!

Aestheria on the other hand is a really well done minimalist blog.