Because Less Is More…

Let us quote Antoine de Saint-Exupery who said “You know you have reached perfection of design not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away.” – a minimalist mindset. Surprisingly, a lot of agencies or designers out there still struggle with this idea. Of course, when we say “design”, it is just not about creating a beautiful art. It goes beyond that; it is also about the content or the process.

One thing that comes to mind when i talk about clean, simple and easy design is the iPhone. Apple does a great job for having such minimal design. And beyond what the naked eye can see is an easy smartphone to use, with less distractions or complex customizations.

Remember that less is more. An awesome designer would know that putting non-essential or excessive stuff on the canvas or art board would be a distraction. Take away the clutter. Only show the right stuff. Only keep the bare essentials, and take out over-the-top graphics and unrelated content out of the picture.

Simple does not mean boring. It does not mean too much white space either. A good designer knows how to make it look elegant and trendy without all the clutter. Ornamentation is just sprinkles on a cake. Use clean icons. Flat buttons and flat icons without any drop shadow and texture-heavy treatment are big this year. Something about the minimalist or flat design will keep your audience focused on the content while feeling pleased by the look and feel of your website.

Lastly, keep it user-friendly. While jQuery is fun, there’s no need to overdo it. Don’t overwhelm your audience. Not everybody is tech savvy. Be considerate to them. You want their online shopping experience to be easy and stress-free, because if they find your website easy to shop with, they will likely return to shop at your site again. You want your website to be a destination of transaction. Not a destination of animation. Stick with simple and clear call to actions and avoid going around the solar system. And remember that a good design doesn’t have to be explained. If your audience would need explanation, then your design is a fail.