11 Trending Minimalistic Website Designs

Contrary to popular opinion, minimalism is all about selective editing. Poor minimalist designs are made by using as few elements as possible from the get-go. But the right approach is to include everything that you think the design may need, and then strip away the excess, refining your composition until it yields a minimalist result. These examples all have that refined composition, but still encompass interesting visual trends.

1. Grafik

This design studio shows how contrast, balance, and attention to detail are often the only elements that are needed to make a site come to life. Contrasts like the chunky, oversized type layered over the delicate line drawing, and the balance created by the arrangement of text boxes are essential when it comes to strong minimalist design.

2. Minimal Music Quiz

This site provides an example of how minimalism can be a great option for communicating complex ideas through simple and beautiful imagery. Although many minimalist sites focus the aesthetic on the layout rather than the imagery, this one shows us that a combination of the two is just as appealing.

3. David Breustedt

A similar example gives further evidence of how grid-based, color-blocked designs are a great choice for the minimalist treatment.

Large photographic imagery is often a key feature of the latest minimalist designs; it’s an especially good choice for websites like this design studio, because they’re bound to have a lot of exciting images to share. The minimalist layout provides a quiet counterpoint to the energy of the photographs.

5. We Are Moving Things

One of the other trends that have gained ground lately has been to incorporate plenty of movement into minimalist designs; just the subtle rise and fall of the graphic on this homepage makes for a far more interesting experience than a static image would have given.

6. Instnt

This website ups the ante by adding a responsive element to the movement. The logomark and primary illustration both revolve in response to the viewer’s mouse movements, providing an even more compelling addition to the site’s design.

7. The Mobile Index

Another trend that has been picking up is the use of continuously scrolling websites, which reduces or sometimes removes the need for any secondary webpages. This website shows how the continuity of this kind of design can be used to create many intriguing effects.

8. Oxydo

In addition to the use of vibrant imagery, minimalist designers often use bold type to energize their designs. This ecommerce site layers both for a statement-making homepage.

9. BTL Brands

Decorative flourishes are rare, but certainly aren’t forbidden in minimalist design. When they’re used sparsely like in this design, the contrast between intricacy and simplicity makes for a dynamic pairing.

10. Ink and Spindle

This webstore manages to combine quite a few of the trends that we’ve examined, including scrolling pages, responsive movement, and dynamic photography. Despite all these flashier elements, the design still manages to remain simple and soothing; it’s as sophisticated aesthetically as it is technically.

11. Name that Uniform

Another beautiful example combines many of the aforementioned elements, including simplistic illustrations, and easy navigation.