Unless you have been living under a soft, loamy tree root for the last few years, you may have noticed that software look and feel has undergone substantial change. A lot of this is attributable to what has come to be known as “minimalist” design. I’m going to explain what that is, and what it’s not.
What is Minimalist Design?
What is it not?
This screen from Verizon Wireless functions very well when it comes to communicating clearly and simply. The information is presented in a way that is not overly monotonous.
Why do designers use Minimalist Design?
Donald Judd, Untitled, 1980
First, Minimalism lends itself to software and web interfaces due to the rise of mobile devices like smart phones and tablets. Some time between 2008 and 2010, it became obvious that designing web pages on a flexible grid, with auto-resizing images and text blocks, saved web designers from having to create separate pages for each type of device. Instead, they could design for one device and let things automatically rearrange themselves on screen, creating a consistent experience for users across all device types. This imposed a new set of rules that demanded simpler design in order to work. Images had to be sized so that they could blow up big but also shrink smaller and still be readable. The same with graphics and text – the latter also being able to be resized on an individual basis, using accessibility options available on most devices.
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