Design Revolution Underway: Is It Time To Replace Minimalism?
Equilibrium [noun]
Definition: A state of adjustment between opposing or divergent influences.
Above is a well-known word that defines consistency. The world requires equilibrium within all conflicting forces. And that remains true for the digital world as well.
For so long, minimalist aesthetics ruled the virtual world. The trend that came into being during the early 2000 happens to be the unchallenged favorites of creators and business people alike. However, after two decades of reign, it seems like minimalism has a new opponent.
Enter Maximalism, a foil to everything minimalist design stands for. This trend didn’t just break the rules of conformity but carved out its own place in the world. The question that remains now is this- will this debate about minimalism vs maximalism actually get us to a digital world where there’s a true balance, or is it just a vain practice?
Minimalism: Uncluttered Aesthetics Of The Modern World
The minimalist idea is inspired by the Zen philosophy, a school of Mahayana Buddhism. The uncluttered aesthetic that is not just a lifestyle but a design aesthetic as well, entered the web around early 2000. And from the beginning, it dominated the webspace unchallenged.
The straightforward and simple appearance of Minimalist digital design is what made it popular in the first place. It delivers all the information compactly and creatively to the user and delights them with the smooth non-confrontational aesthetic on the site.
The defining factors of minimalism soon became the status quo of design practices. The use of negative space to let the content breathe, the uniform use of fonts, carefully placed visuals and interactions, and intuitive menu, all of it is a part of web design best practices.
However, this prevalence of minimalism as the status quo does introduce one issue, and that is the phenomenon of similar-looking sites across the internet.
An Adherence To Homogenized Design?
During the infant days of the web, the design was not a concern. It was still a world without rules and the websites reflected that.
The early sites, designed with flash, were unlike each other. The weird use of fonts, garish colors, and hidden gem like navigation models was something we all enjoyed and spent hours exploring. But then the need for functionality kicked in.
Right now we are living in a world where websites are the ultimate channels to attract and convert visitors. And the key to that is functional aesthetic. We are continuously concerning ourselves with the website ROI and customer reaction, and in doing so, falling into the trap of familiar web design patterns.
Let’s consider some examples.
Above are two screenshots of perfectly executed minimalist website designs. These sites are finished with hero images/background, a central text and easy yet extremely subtle navigation are the epitome of minimalism in web design.
These are also the definition of homogenized web design.
This trend, or rather the loyalty shown to it by businesses and creators formed an environment of well known and used design components that make the sites look more or less the same. There might be some variance to it, but the similarity is still there. And this ignorance towards the similarities brings us to this next question-
Is efficacy more important than the art of design itself?
Functionality VS Art
When it comes to designing a website, functionality trumps art.
Many factors play into this win, and consumer satisfaction is one of those many. In the guise of intuitive design and bringing extreme comfort in the web navigation experience, business people keep reiterating the same design standards and sacrifice the aspect of art in design.
However, functionality is not against art.
Achieving functionality with the added bit of artistic freedom is a practice long forgotten, but it is not lost forever. Various aesthetic websites use trends that go against the minimalist practices, and yet have a functional design that not only looks good but works well too.
So why is this reluctance to experiment?
The answer is the higher stakes of market success. Unlike the dawn of the web, the audience today is a lot smarter, and know exactly what they want. And the entrepreneurs and designers don’t want to risk anything when delivering the requirements. It is a lot safer to simply deliver the old thing in new packaging and call it a success.
Is Maximalist Design The Answer To The Uniformity?
The uniformity of minimalism rose as a challenge to the abstract brutalism that prevailed as the early design buzz. Brutalism, a style that originated from the architecture of the 1950s to mid-1970s gave birth to unique site UI. These interfaces lacked the flowery and ornate elements and made do with the bare essentials in terms of navigation and aesthetics.
Abstract brutalism, however, was not sacrifice on functionality. The sites worked pretty well considering the standards of those early days. But as the years changed, so did the aesthetic preference of the audience and that’s how minimalism came into being.
Now after almost two decades of minimalist reign, the audience preferences are changing again. While the UX standards remain the same, when it comes to UI, the users want something different. And businesses too NEED something different to stand out in the crowd of similar-looking platforms.
Let’s take a peek at maximalist design and what it entails to understand how it is being used as the perfect foil to minimalism by the experienced web design agencies in cities like New York.
What Makes A Site Maximalist?
Bold use of fonts, images, and a non-conforming attitude towards the minimalist best practices- is that all there is to the application of maximalist psychology in design?
Not exactly. While the above-mentioned factors define the specific trends we are discussing, it is in no way limited to these factors only. There’s a lot more to maximalist websites.
Everything that defines maximalist design is the exact opposite of minimalism. so in that way, the major element of maximalism would appear to be something like this-
- A severe lack of negative space
- Use of multiple font styles on the same page
- Bold use of colors and texts
- Ignoring the grid-based designs
- Repeated elements
The site of Pin-up magazine serves as the perfect example of a functional maximalist design. Forgoing the basic minimalist practices, the site embraces the repetitive elements, bold and ‘in-your-face’ kind of heading, and a simple navigation bar situated at the top of the page.
The existence of such sites proves that it is no longer detrimental to the user experience to let go of the well established “best practices”.
In fact, besides the utilization of mental models and all the UX enhancement process, this will help to stand out in an otherwise crowded market full of similar-looking websites that are all vying for the attention of the limited number of audience.
Is It Right For You?
We have discussed minimalist web design, its negative side effects, as well as maximalist, and how it is going against every established assumption. However, is this new style perfect for everyone?
Despite the rampant similitude, minimalism is still the order of the day. Entrepreneurs and designers are still churning out sites that may look different at the first glance, but in essence, are still the same.
In such a market it might look like a great opportunity to utilize the new trend and stand out in a crowded industry. However, its effect on the end demographic can be unexpected.
Let’s go through the maximalist design elements and how they might affect the users.
Element 1: Bold Colors
One of the first things to be noticed on any maximalist design is the bold use of colors. These myriads of colors seem a bit shocking to anyone who is so used to the muted use of colors on minimalist design.
As the above example presents a design that is white and lime green. The use of such bright colors does raise the shock value of the site. However, the successful application of this depends on the kind of audience the site will be catering to.
The use of bright colors comes with its own challenges, and the designers have to utilize all their knowledge of chromatic effects. However, users that prefer darker backgrounds on the site or have CVD might not be a fan of such design.
Element 2: Content, Content, Everywhere
One of the dominant features of the maximalist design is the absence of negative space. The pages are usually crammed full of content to the brim, leaving no empty or unused space.
This lack of negative space might look different and unique, and proves to be quite an innovative use of the page. However, it can also have quite an overwhelming effect on the users at times. And that’s why it might be a wise choice to toe the line between keeping some negative space and using an overwhelming amount of content on the page.
Element 3: Unique Take On Navigation
Like a throwback to the old flash-based websites, maximalism comes with a unique approach to the navigation of the site. While some sites adhere to a complete navigational menu on some corner of the screen, most tend to upend the entire experience on its head.
Minestudio has reinvented navigation with this unique interface where navigational elements dominate the screen. As different as it might look from all its competitors, the interface can be considered controversial by many. This is because we have been conditioned to the simple and intuitive navigation aspect of minimalism, and anything different than that looks alien and unusable now.
Element 4: Using Multiple Fonts All On The Same Page
Minimalism puts extreme emphasis on the use of similar kinds of fonts on the pages. And as a result, we now have a plethora of sites that adhere to the rule of careful font usage. Maximalism on the other hand throws that rule out of that window.
The application of different font sizes and styles on the above website has taken the aesthetic level of the site to another level. However, there are certain customs one needs to adhere to when utilizing multiple fonts on the pages.
To make the different font styles work together on the page, the creators have to pay strict attention to the style and size of the fonts. The aim is to deliver the message of the page clearly and in a hierarchical manner. And that’s why it is necessary to pay attention to the impact of the fonts first.
Will Maximalism Bring Equilibrium To The Digital World?
There’s a thin line between becoming the next big thing and becoming a fad. And the next few years of the design scenario will determine who will win in this battle of minimalism vs maximalism.
The main reason why minimalism is now the standard of design is because of the flawlessness with which it fulfills the UX demands of the users. From visual satisfaction to interaction and usability, all of it is fulfilled nicely by the minimalist approach.
Maximalism can become as popular as minimalism if it is applied correctly to accomplish the UX goals. As long as it effectively helps users to fulfill their goals on the site, the trend has the power to overthrow the minimalistic style. So, if you want to jump into the wagon and find out how to stand out in the market with the help of maximalism, then let me know!
Also, what is your thought process? Do you agree with the article? Let me know in the comments below.
