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Even in the design community, there’s confusion and sometimes arguments over what minimalism really is. Everyone has their own opinion on where you draw the line, but common indications include liberal use of white space and limited decoration. Wikipedia describes minimalist design as a something “reduced to its necessary elements.”

Which elements are necessary and which are fluff is itself a gray area as design is often concerned with creating an experience. Only a seasoned designer with a good grasp on a project can say whether a light sheen or gradient helps cater to the experience or is needless noise.

Why

People have strong emotional reactions to minimalism. I’ve found most people are polarized to either love it or hate it, but few discuss the deeper philosophical implications. A breakthrough I had years ago made me realize that loving or hating it is a moot point. The real question, the question that matters most, is “does it serve its purpose?”

To answer this question, one must first state the purpose to which the design is meant to serve. This varies within industries, as industrial design often has a specific purpose that differs from web design. But the concept that is shared despite the medium is interactivity, be it physical or emotional.

Famous industrial designer Dieter Rams spoke to this perfectly in his ten principles to good design when he said “good design makes a product useful.” Nearly 30 years later, has this become any less truthful?

It’s not just designers that need to appreciate the concept of enhancing usefulness and experience. This philosophy is only truly successful if everyone responsible for a product or service believes in it.

The next time you encounter something you would classify as minimally designed, I challenge you to place your initial emotional reaction aside and ask “does the design make this more useful?” The answer will often surprise you.

This isn’t to say that minimalism serves purely a functional purpose. By stripping down an idea to its bare essentials, you’re reaching the core from where your visual ideas can flow.

Noise

I’m tired of the noise of modern advertising. Everyone I know is tired of it. Yet the stream continues to grow, evolve, and find ways to dig deeper in our lives because, ultimately, it works. The more you spread (read: force) a message to the masses, the more it will stick. WhatI hope is starting to happen is a great example of diminishing returns, where people become disenchanted with the sheer amount of communication channels and become harder to reach.

This is where minimalism shines, as one of the core tenets laid out by Rams is pure honesty. We’ll never be completely free of the cheaper tactics designers use to sell products and services, but a clear and powerful aesthetic and message is undeniable. Why else is Apple predicted to surpass Microsoft’s net worth and yet they’re only half the company’s size?

Because elements in minimalism are more sparse, they become more important. The smallest decisions on typography and layout can make or break the piece. But when done correctly, the sheer simplicity and honesty of the message sticks out. If I see a cluttered ad with tons of color and type treatments, I don’t even care to see what it’s about. If I see an ad with a beautiful, carefully selected photograph and a single line of text set in an interesting font, I’m inclined to pay attention.

In other words: instead of being louder, be simple and useful. This will be noticed.

Sampling

Again, it’s hard to set a hard criteria for what is and isn’t minimalism. However, here are just a few quick selections from my bookmarks and why I think they are a good representation of the minimalist style.

Wilson Miner

Featuring a nice grid and beautiful use of Helvetica, Wilson Miner’s site shows that straightforward content can be fun. Interestingly, the base font size is set at 16px which, while much larger than normal, is quite comfortable to read.

A Magazine

A Magazine’s new site is simple, offering limited navigation options (found at the bottom of the site), which leaves the top free to showcase the product they’re proud and passionate of. The straight-on photography is nice, and the Flash that powers the sliding book showcase is unobtrusive.

Helveticons

I dig the way they put the icons they’re selling and the inspiration for them front and center. The typography is clean and they put their icons to good use as nice complementary imagery. Minimalism is more a concept of pure and direct communication, without extraneous imagery… the Helveticons site shows bold color and illustration can be used to great effect.

What’s Next

As people become more immune to communication clutter, designers can continue to promote clear and simple messages using all the traditional tools at their disposal: typography, color, layout, imagery, et cetera. I think this new decade will hold great things as we take a step back and pay more attention to the principles of design that have paved the way.

I’d love to hear from you. What is your gut reaction to the minimalist style? In what ways do you think it helps or hinders a product, service, or idea?