Simple Website Design

What do you think of when you hear the term "simple website design?" I'll share a few thoughts on what I consider to be simple web design and why it works.

Clean Design

A clean design is key. What I mean by clean is an uncluttered look. We've all been to websites that have so many things going on that we don't know where to look first. It's basically impossible to figure out what is of primary importance because there's just too much there, not to mention it being unorganized and devoid of any kind of order.

Minimalist Design

Minimalist design is just what it says - a simple, uncluttered design. I like what SitePoint says in their article, "Design Minimalism: What, Why & How."  Referring to home design, they say that the minimalist style is used by those who are rich in decorating their homes because they can afford to be choosy and have only nice, elegant items. They don't fill up their houses with just anything, but select fewer, nicer elements to showcase their decorating.

In the picture to the left, what are your eyes drawn to? Mine go right to the nice table and chairs, and secondly, to the picture on the wall. There are not a lot of other things in the image vying for attention, so it's easy to know that this is a dining room and the purpose of it is to offer a nice setting to eat your meals in.

That is the attitude we will take in web design. We will select the most important information to highlight and draw attention to by having a simple clean design around it. That way, your web visitors' eyes will be drawn to the elements/information on the page. The design should be a beautiful one. Remember, simple does not mean boring! It is a design that will tastefully present the aspects you want your visitors to know in an attractive clean design.

While there is a time and place to use movement on a web page, it can be very overdone. A simple fade in is useful to put emphasis on a phrase or section, while constant moving parts causes people to become annoyed and possibly leave your site.

A simple clean design will incorporate a good amount of white space, making the elements you want people to notice stand out on the web page. Colors should be used sparingly but beautifully. The old adage "less is better" applies here. You may want to read the 10 Golden Rules of Simple, Clean Design.

What Simple Design is Not

Simple website design is not cheap looking or boring. It is elegant and has a purpose. The goal of simple design on a web page is to make it very clear what the focus of the page is and what the desired action is that you want your visitors to take.

Please don't make the mistake of assuming you don't need professional web design services since you want to create a simple website. The website needs to be done strategically by someone who understands layout and effective design.