Case study: Minimalist design
Since 2020, minimalist design has become increasingly popular. Let’s explore what makes it so compelling, its origins, and why it continues to dominate modern design.
What’s minimalistic design?
Minimalist design is a design focused on its sole purpose, without extreme or expressive colors or components. It embraces the principle of having only what is required and no more, thus forcing the creator to make very concious decisions about design choices. It’s about designing the essential elements to perfection, limiting the amount of unneccessary distractions.
Where did the style originate?
The style originated from the 1960 Bauhaus style and the Dutch ‘De Stijl’ movement, emphasizing simplicity and functionality. One of the most influential minimalist designers is Dieter Rams, who created the 10 principles of good design. His work at Braun and Vitsoe had a great impact on the world of minimalist design and continues to influence modern design thinking.
Dieter rams’ 10 principles of good design are:
- Good design is innovative
- Good design makes a product useful
- Good design is aesthetic
- Good design makes a product understandable
- Good design is unobtrusive
- Good design is honest
- Good design is long-lasting
- Good design is thorough down to the last detail
- Good design is environmentally friendly
- Good design is as little design as possible
What makes minimalist design special?
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
Minimalism creates a sense of timelessness by using neutral colors and focusing on essential elements. Its monochromatic color scheme with fewer accents distinguishes it from other design styles, pushing forward the main message while making the user’s experience meaningful and easy-going.
The benefits of minimalist design
Minimalist design has many benefits, both for the user and the creator of the design. Mainly, it helps to create a more focused and less cluttered design, which can lead to a better user experience. It also helps to create a more timeless design, as minimalist designs tend to age better than more complex designs. But also the use of nerd fonts, like JetBrains Mono, can help the user experience be more fluent and make the content easier to read.