Minimal Web Design – August 2011

I’m constantly browsing the web looking for inspiration and bookmarking some of the most unique, innovative and attractive examples of minimal web design I come across. This post contains a few of the sites I’ve liked over the past couple of weeks. Enjoy.

Arnaud Beelen

The use of diagonal lines in graphic designer Arnaud Beelen’s design for his WordPress portfolio gives the website a stand-out feel. It’s certainly a lot more unique than the standard rectangle grid or list-based layouts that most portfolio websites (this one included!) use.

On top of the diagonal lines, strong images and a simple but well chosen colour scheme help to allow the work to speak for itself.

Visit website: arnaudbeelen.be

Philippe Starck

Despite being a fan of Philippe Starck’s work, I can’t remember ever visiting his website until relatively recently. As you’d expect from a product designer who creates objects “whose purpose is to be good before being beautiful”, his website is easy to use.

Attractive typography, simple navigation and high-quality images of some of his great products make it easy to spend a good while on the website.

Visit website: starck.com

Why Not Associates

I like the simple navigation used on Why Not Associates’ website – as well as the strong, full-screen background imagery.

The multiple column-based navigation makes it easy to browse through a large quantity of content in an easy and intuitive way. The website is also left-aligned – something which I’m a bit of a fan of at the moment.

Visit website: whynotassociates.com

dtailed

Another left-aligned portfolio website and another bespoke WordPress theme. Great navigation, colour-scheme and a particularly attractive portfolio make this an enjoyable website to visit.

Websites like this really demonstrate what WordPress is capable of and are a world away from many of the poor quality free themes that I see being used time and time again.

Visit website: dtailed.com

Rob Treutel

I love the simplicity of the landing page on Rob Treutel’s website. The big, bold navigation sends you straight towards his work, which is also presented in a simple and attractive way.

This website is probably the most stripped down, minimal design out of the sites I’ve included in this post and reminds me of the following quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupery:

“Perfection is achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away”

Visit website: robtreutel.com

CDP Architecture

Another strong minimal web design. I particularly like the horizontal scrolling galleries in the portfolio section of CDP Architecture’s website.

Visit website: thinkcdp.com