By E. Mahony – spotlightideas.co.uk – 2010

There are various reasons why / when it’s a good idea to go for a minimalist web design.

• The internet is crowded with clutter. The minimalist web design offers audiences the chance to escape the internet clutter and find a place where they can view web content in relative calm.
• A minimalist web design can send a strong message to your audience about the type of company / brand / product / service behind the website. Minimalism suggests the following: no-nonsense, to-the-point, and more.
• Generally, the less graphics there are, the quicker the website loads. And the speed at which a website loads can now affect Google page rank.
• A minimalist web design is a good option to go for if you’re not too sure what sort of design to go for in general (maybe you just can’t come up with a good web design idea or your business is in transition and you’re not too sure what sort of message to get across to audiences).
• A minimalist web design can be a good way of emphasizing some important new branding design (i.e. logo) or message.
• A minimalist web design allows you to focus audiences to a particular part of the website where you’re trying to promote some new part of your business.
• Many people are just into minimalism whether it be minimalism in art, interior design, web design, and so on.

Are there any negatives for having a minimalist design?

Yes, for example, some people just find minimalist designs boring (they want shape, texture, shade and colour). There’s not a lot you can do about this (not forgetting that for every person that finds a minimalist design, by default, boring, there will be someone who find a minimalist design, by default, attractive). It’s difficult to create a really strong brand identity for audiences new to the site (but not impossible). Some clients might think they’ve been short-changed (need to persuade the client of the positives of a minimalist web design ..).

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