Minimalism began as an art movement in the 1960s before spreading throughout culture and commerce.
Today, minimalism influences everything from interior design to branding, fashion, and technology. Bloggers show us how to create a “capsule wardrobe” consisting of fewer items, apartments with bright white walls and little clutter dominate home design blogs, and the ubiquitous tech products of our era aim to be sleek and unintrusive.
This idea extends to web design: a minimalist website is one that looks clean while being highly functional and carefully organized. It avoids the distraction of visual clutter and unnecessary elements. Let’s explore the key elements of a minimalist website, as well as some examples to jumpstart your creativity when you develop one of your own.
What is a minimalist website?
A minimalist website combines functional design, negative space, a limited color palette, simple typography, and high-quality visuals to create a clean, purposeful user experience. The minimalist aesthetic is particularly popular for ecommerce websites because it allows the merchandise to shine while offering customers a seamless and functional shopping experience.
5 key elements of a minimalist website (with examples)
How do you know if a website template or design is truly taking a minimalist approach? There are a few essential elements to look for. Here are five minimalist web design examples that demonstrate these factors in action.
1. Functional design
First and foremost, the best minimalist website examples are functional. Rather than being too sparse or curated to be useful, these sites use visual hierarchy to draw the user’s attention to specific products or sections, including only what serves a specific purpose.
Take this example from Salt & Stone: the homepage is succinct, with a ticker at the top advertising deals, a large image of its star product, and a simple navigation bar with only a few options.
2. Negative space
Another defining feature of a minimalist layout is negative space. While this is often referred to as “white space,” don’t let the color in that name confuse you. It refers to any type of empty space. A site with a dark background is just as minimal as one with a plain white background—take, for example, the design of the Maudern, the blog from sexual wellness brand Maude.
Even a website with lots of imagery can use negative space: You can have empty space within photographs or position photographs with space in between. This can help emphasize the website’s focal points.
3. Limited color palette
Using a monochromatic color scheme is another way to make a design feel minimalist. A color palette that is too bright, varied, or dissonant can disrupt the simplicity of a minimalist web design. Sticking to a white background with a neutral color palette is a sure way to keep the design feeling ultra-clean.
In this brand-specific search page example from Dutch boutique Retreat, the page is largely black and white, with gold accents when site visitors hover over a product or navigation option.
4. Simple typography
Font styles with clean lines are another defining characteristic of the minimal aesthetic. Sans-serif fonts read as the most minimalist typography, but both bold and delicate typography can look minimalist when styled properly with ample white space.
In this example from AG1, a sophisticated serif font paired with a simple sans serif font creates a clean, ultra-legible, and hyper-functional effect that pairs well with the grid-based photo layout.
5. High-quality images
High-quality images are a key component of a minimalist website, drawing site visitors’ attention to what’s important. Many minimalist ecommerce websites and portfolio websites utilize full-width images to provide the user with an immediate and striking visual introduction to the brand. A library of high-resolution product photos created by a skilled team of designers helps a minimalist website showcase products and distill the brand’s identity and essence, as in the case of this example from jewelry brand TENFOUR.
8 Minimalist website design examples
Looking for some perfect examples of minimal design? These minimalist sites’ visual elements are organized into a clear visual hierarchy that emphasizes simplicity.
1. Toteme
Clothes and accessories brand Toteme’s ecommerce site relies on a strong grid system. The product images are most important, making it easy for shoppers to scan the page quickly as they scroll and click into what catches their eye.
2. Away
Away’s ultra-simple site doesn’t employ much white space—but its images do. The result? A site with room to breathe. Product pages employ small round color samples, monochromatic buttons, and simple iconography to highlight product features, keeping the emphasis on the images and products for sale.
3. Nécessaire
Nécessaire’s product pages use thin lines, negative space within the images, and monochromatism to achieve a minimalist effect. They’re also highly gridded, using a two-column split between the right and left sides of the page as the user continues to scroll down.
4. Negative
The minimalism of Negative’s site is a perfect example of on-brand design—negative space, clean lines, and sans serif fonts let the (also minimal) products shine on the homepage and across product categories.
5. Cowboy
E-bike brand Cowboy employs minimalism to great effect: banner images use limited colors, simple fonts, and minimal text, leaving plenty of white space for the eye to rest.
6. Quincy Mae
Baby brand Quincy Mae’s website design is informed by products, sharing a similar color scheme and soft, minimal aesthetic. The small, delicate type helps remind us of the quiet innocence of early childhood. Simple and sweet brand photography that mirrors the company’s values helps tell its story on this About page.
7. Markawear
In this example from Japanese clothing shop Markaware, a closely cropped lifestyle image featuring suits with dark colors on the right-hand side of the page is balanced with a cream-colored text box featuring only a few words, left-aligned toward the bottom of the page. The CTA button is also minimal, featuring small text in a lightweight and thin outline. The effect creates a tension that draws the eye straight to the button—making this an effective design for an ecommerce site.
8. Memobottle
In this example from memobottle, the clean lines of the collection of water bottles side-by-side help the product image act as part of the layout. They’re also arranged in a grid-like configuration, and their clear material makes them feel like part of the white space. Minimal copy and a clear, simple button complete this easy-to-navigate layout.
Minimalist website examples FAQ
What is the difference between a minimalist and a maximalist website?
A minimalist website design features ample white space, clean lines, simple fonts, and a limited color scheme. A maximalist website, on the other hand, uses more colors, statement fonts, large typography, and decorative design elements.
What are the principles of minimalist web design?
Minimalist design is functional at its core, prioritizing elements that serve a purpose rather than existing purely as decoration or visual enhancements.
What is the main goal of minimalism?
The main goal of minimalism is to reduce an object to its most basic function. Whether a piece of art, a building, furniture, or a website, minimalism aims for the perfect balance of form and function.
