A minimalist concept is timeless. From era to era, this design style always serves a fascinating look that gives a sense of modernity and artsy. From fine arts to architecture, it is pretty applicable. No wonder, many artists from various fields transform this style into their artwork. As a result, this style becomes more popular over the past few years. Besides, there are many aspects that you can explore in a minimalist design that can help you enrich your artsy taste in graphic design. Read the complete article below to dive into the beauty of minimalism!
Minimalist Design at a Glance
In a nutshell, a minimalist design is a style that embraces simplicity with limited elements used. Each element puts in the design not only serves a pleasing visual but also enhances its function. So how to create an appealing look with minimalism? Well, that ‘less is more’ principle followed by this concept becomes its undeniable charm. Similar to its name, the minimalist concept only plays with the negative space and minimal color palette to create an alluring look. As a result, it can successfully bring a sophisticated feeling and clean look, making the audience drawn to this mesmerizing design.
The Basic Principles of Minimalist Design
The Minimalist concept lessens the complexity in common design, but make it still charming with its ‘less is more’ principle. In short, it is simple, but still chick and aesthetic.
Ghina Luqyana, Creative Director of Peterdraw Studio
The minimalist design is pretty distinctive. People don’t need to argue to tell whether the design uses this concept or not. There are a couple of things that make a design look minimalist. Below, we have listed the principles you can follow while working on your design.
Simplicity and Clean Lines
This one is the most basic principle that makes a design nail minimalistic. As we have mentioned above, the minimalist design doesn’t need any unnecessary elements that fill the canvas. Otherwise, it only hires minimal elements to create a clean layout without any distortion. And using some lines can be the best option to give more accent—without lessening the simplicity. Other than that, you just need to stick to the idea of striving for clarity which means you need to be more direct.
White Space
Besides a simple and clean layout, white space or negative space also plays a crucial role in creating a minimalist look. Basically, it refers to the empty space in the layout. Will it look so empty? Definitely Yass, but you don’t have to worry because that emptiness will make the design look so captivating. Besides, we can also call white space a visual breather that maintains balance and harmony in the overall composition. Also, it can add depth and dimension, as well as emotional impact. No wonder, you will discover a sophisticated feeling once you stare at the minimalist design that optimizes the negative space role.
Limited Color Palette
Like we have mentioned above about simplicity, using a minimal color palette can instantly create a minimalist look. The minimalist design itself likely adopts neutral colors or monochromatic schemes to evoke an emotional impact. Other than that, the use of these color themes also can create an aesthetic point, clarity, and focus, as well as accessibility and readability. Nonetheless, it doesn’t mean you can’t use the other colors. In fact, some colors like vibrant yellow, green, blue, or other shocking colors still can meet this concept. The thing that you need to note is not to put too many colors in different schemes on one canvas. Because the choice of colors becomes more intentional and impactful which could influence the viewer’s perception.
Typography
This is another aspect that could affect the minimalist look. Typography is an essential part of visual language when it comes to serving the message in written form. The text in your design can create an aesthetic look only with the right arrangement of layout, enhance readability, and design communication. So how to play with typography in minimalist design? Well, since it follows less is more, you just need to hire minimal and clean font without many ornaments like sans serif fonts. But, if you want to create a more feminine or elegant look, it’s okay to employ serif fonts. Again, all you need is just ensuring that you still use minimal typography.
Visual Hierarchy
The next stop that we will talk about is visual hierarchy. This design principle also plays a pivotal role in creating a minimal look. Basically, visual hierarchy is all about the hierarchy of priority, meaning the more crucial the element, the more different it will be. To get a perfect visual hierarchy, you can play with the size and scale, contrast, white space, and alignment. Thus, you need to ensure which element or message your need to highlight before creating the design.
Balance
Balance is a foundational principle in a minimalist design that refers to the equal distribution of elements within the composition. To get a perfect balance, you need to ensure that there is no element that dominates the design only on one side, whether it’s symmetrical or asymmetrical balance. Symmetrical balance refers to a formal and structured feel that alights with the clean and orderly aesthetic of the minimalist design. Meanwhile, asymmetrical balance involves distributing visual elements in a way that maintains equilibrium without exact mirroring. Even so, it still serves a more creative and dynamic composition in minimalist design.
The Final Thought About Minimalist Design
Minimalist design has an undeniable charm that creates an alluring look for those who stare at it. It can create a sense of deep feeling throughout the layout composition. Incorporating the basic principles of minimalist design can make us understand the beauty within simplicity. Even though there are a couple of things that will limit you, don’t hesitate to explore your creativity while creating designs with this concept.
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