Minimalist Approaches to Digital Design
Over the past couple of months, two of the biggest mobile operating systems received a system update that highlights the rise of a minimalist approach to digital design. For iPhones and iPads this came in the form of 'IOS 8', with other popular device brands receiving Google Android ‘Lollipop’ 5.0.
The rise in popularity of this approach comes with no surprise to web designers, who have seen a number of benefits attainable for websites adopting this style for quite a while now:
- Simple and streamlined navigation
- Faster loading and rendering times
- Increased focus on your actual content
This practical approach is in stark contrast to creating a website filled with flashy animations to reel in glowy-eyed users. More often than not, this is indicative of a case of style over substance, though at times it does have a place as a marketing tool.
The last bullet point is one of most importance for any website out there. Making sure people who visit your site can easily view information and comprehend the message you are trying to get across is paramount.
This post will explain why it is a popular trend, giving some examples of what our creative guys have made that can fit into this category of design and when it's appropriate to use. So lets get to it!
Reason for popularity
As I noted at the start of this post, a major reason behind the popularity in minimal digital design is due to mobile devices. This ties in with the need for responsive development, as our smaller screened friends are not always suited to have fancy animations when browsing the internet. The clean look that minimal design promotes means that your website will render beautifully on desktop, tablets and phones.
We know that 89% of all mobile device web browsing activity is done through Apple and Google Android operating systems. It would be wise to be conscious of the path users take when coming to visit your website. If your website fits in aesthetically with the device they are using, it may well leave the user with a better impression of your business.
Flat UI design
'Flat UI design' is the correct term to describe the minimalist developments in the web design field. It’s essentially about removing any 3D-effects, whilst staying in keeping with minimal design elements, colours and typography. View a fully-fledged example of what flat design is all about here — (beware: Game of Thrones spoilers!)
There are a couple of key considerations to your website if you choose to go down the 'Flat design' route.
Choosing the right colour palette
It is often good practice to have one main colour that represents your brand, e.g. Facebook blue, with a couple of complimentary extras. The contrast to these colours are used to highlight the path users should take to navigate your website. You'll see in our soon to be released project case studies, the colour palette that has been picked for each website in question.
Structured Typography
Typically sticking with one font family serves websites well, as consistency is key. Using different subsets of that font family gives subtle structure to your text content, e.g. a different sub-font for the title and body text. This improves readability.
What is more, flat designed websites generally use less bandwidth per page, bringing faster loading and rendering times, which is of benefit to all devices - old and new. This is also good news for those with slow or unreliable internet speeds - especially the case for rural areas in Kent and, in fact, the rest of the UK!
A new 'Material' trend on the horizon?
Without making things too confusing, Google has brought out a new design standard that it wants to be adopted dubbed as 'Material Design'. Because Google has a presence in the majority of people’s lives, driving consumption for consumer goods and services - it would be silly not to stand and take notice of what they are up to design-wise. They are essentially trying to take Flat design one step further by mimicking real world physics in the digital world. For instance, putting a piece of paper over another one doesn't mean the one underneath disappears- it’s merely hidden from view. While there are few websites that can be considered 'material designed', you can be sure that with Google's weight being thrown behind it we will be seeing it a lot more of it in the future.
Here's a quick 45 second video to give a little insight into what 'material design' is all about:
Alex Cole: "The idea of flat web design is a 'less is more' approach. Less clutter offers a well-balanced reading experience and delivers faster loading times for the user."
Our web developers have equipped Flat UI design as a tool for many past website projects. Two recent examples where it has been implemented to great effect are with Bluechew and Homemade Properties — you can view them on our project showcase page!
