With bounce rate and time-on-site assumed to be the top trump cards in Google’s new algorithm; there is most certainly a push from Google — and subsequently advertisers — for websites to become more user, in addition to search engine, friendly. Read on to find our top ten tips for enhancing the user experience including everything from Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and rich media, to navigation and mobile device optimization.

1. Faster is always better.
It is not a newsflash that speed and load times rule the web. Every second a user has to wait, the more likely they are to leave your site. If you’re experiencing some lag time, try reducing the number of HTTP requests by simplifying the design, using CSS and CSS Sprites, combining images into a single file, and reusing elements — like page headers — which can reload from the cache. You can also create the illusion of speed by placing style sheets in the header. This will allow the header and navigation menus to load first thereby showing progress and pacifying user impatience.

2. Simply site navigation.
The foundation to every webpage is the sitemap and navigation. Clear and concise menus are essential as well as a single page showing all links. Online reading patterns lend themselves to the typical “F” pattern (example below). To ensure that the user can easily interact with your content, keep a relatively short list of menu option down the left side and across the top. Be sure that all navigation info stays above the fold and that the logo links back to the homepage. Intuitive navigation outlasts number of clicks, so go ahead and forget about that 3-click rule. Not to imply that the user will stick out a lengthy path, but ultimately clicks don’t cause user frustration, poorly organized sites do.

3. Embed Rich Media
Tickers, videos, animation and other rich media options have changed the landscape of the web and help keep the user on your site for longer while they interact with more content options. Nowhere is this more valuable than on education, news and entertainment sites. The biggest hurtle to overcome with rich media embeds is software compatibility. Consider using a third-party hosting site like youtube.com and embedding the video directly on your site. This will level the compatibility playing field and remove the server-hosting burden from you.

4. Optimize for Mobile Devices
While designing (or redesigning) your site, the need to factor in mobile devices is pressing. There are several schools of thought regarding site optimization, but the most all-encompassing and user-friendly option is to simply use the same URLs as the standard website. Strip down the site content to only the bare essentials. Simplicity is of the name of this game. Avoid using scripting languages or Flash components, as most devices are not equipped to support them. Keep in mind the small screens and use small graphics or ads and content that are scalable.

5. Bookmarking
Listing your site on social bookmarking websites like Digg can drive quality traffic to your way and bump your page views. It can also have a cascade affect where a user will tag your site for yet another site where yet another user will tag it again, and so on. Bookmarking is a handy tool that is relatively easy and doesn’t require a ton of time to achieve.

6. Utilize Social Media links.
Social media sites have taken over the way users share information with one another. Give viewers an easy way to link content they like from your site to their profiles. Not only will it spread the word, it will also get the attention of like-minded users who will not only click out of curiosity, they will probably spend quality time on your site which will help bolster your chances in the search engine pool.

7. Clearly Identify and Brand.
Brand identity is essential in all forms of media, but is most important on a large and complex website. Be sure the company’s logo or name is clear in the header. Choose, colors, fonts and graphic treatments compliant with brand style guides and reinforce that look at every opportunity. The more comfortable the user is with the style, the more familiar they are with the brand and are more likely to come back time and time again.

8. Search Bars are Essential
The more complex the site, the more essential the search bar . For user ease, stick to the tried and true method with an input field and a “submit” or “go” button located at the top, right of the page. Design the search bar cleanly with the font and color style already established for the overall look. In regards to search fields, less is more. Take Google for instance (see below), their entire brand is built upon the search bar and it remains simple and straightforward.

9. Strategically use Keywords and Titles
Be true to your content. Of late, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has been all the rage, but don’t sell your digital soul for a few extra clicks. Google is working hard to filter and outsmart spammers who abuse the algorithm. Instead of getting caught up in the hype and fortifying your site with endless keywords, focus on how the user would look for your information and what words they might use. Be strategic in your keyword choices and get to the kernel of the matter to effectively garner the largest audience who will also spend the most time looking through your content.

10 Design. Design. Design.
Place big, attention-grabbing headlines above the fold, but don’t be overly concerned about making a user scroll. If you’ve successfully filled your site with quality content that is organized and clearly designed, scrolling won’t deter a user. The presentation of information requires a designer’s eye to ensure a site that is both aesthetically and functionally sound.

Each avenue in the design world has its own unique challenges and tricks, and magazine design is no different. From style guides and gutters to editors and entry points, designing for a magazine comprises its own set of rules and considerations. Before jumping head first into the text-heavy, deadline-driven world of magazines, take a moment to get your bearings and familiarize yourself with the terrain. Using the road map below, your creativity, and a bit of luck you’ll have everything you need to produce a top-notch, reader-friendly magazine.

1. Style Guides and Templates
In magazine design, consistency is imperative not only to branding but also to creating familiarity between the magazine and its audience. This familiarity breeds trust and loyalty, and ultimately keeps readers coming back for more. One of the biggest misconceptions in design is that templates and style guides are restrictive. On the contrary, they open the door for more creative solutions. Just like in web design, style guides, style sheets, and templates create consistency and allow for global changes without hassle. Instead of regarding style guides and templates as rules, think of them as the framework holding up the design for each page.

2. Audience First
It’s really that simple. The reader profile should inform your approach to the material. Designing something you like is important, but are you the target audience? Ask yourself, “Does this service the reader?”

3. Diligently Seek Out Inspiration
Working within the same style issue after issue can quickly zap the creative energy right out of you, and unfortunately this will most likely show in your work. Something should surprise the reader every time they turn the page, and achieving that is your responsibility. When you’re feeling uninspired — and you will, eventually — go to a newsstand and flip through other publications, stroll through an art gallery, or simply take a walk. Design is all around you so keep your eyes peeled and refresh your creativity. Many designers keep folders or boxes full of inspiration they’ve collected (such as tear sheets from other publications, art work, postcards, photographs, greeting cards, patterns, fabrics, websites, etc.) near their workspace.

4. Cover Planning
Covers can be the most sensitive and time-consuming part of a magazine issue. Each cover is obliged to achieve several goals. It must attract attention while sitting on a newsstand, adhere to print and postal code regulations, be intriguing while still falling into alignment with brand standards, and — most of all— stand up to the scrutiny of the design and editorial team. Brainstorm, plan ahead, and have a backup plan … or three.

5. Editors Are Your Friends
Magazine staffs often operate with a strict delineation between editorial staff and design staff. However, stronger ideas and solutions emerge when these departments work together early and often. As the designer, familiarize yourself with articles coming down the pipe. You may be able to offer an outside perspective or new approach. Equally, be open to editorial suggestions and help build on them. After all, this is a team project.

6. Typography and Points of Entry
When talking about mass amounts of text, as is the case with most magazine articles, the way in which text is treated and formatted is paramount. As a designer, you have the power to form the way in which the reader is presented with information. With that in mind, text-heavy pages take extra care as you must provide easy points of entry for the reader that lead them through the page. As you see in the example below, a page with no imagery can still be appealing and attention grabbing with the use of grids, headlines, subheads, drop caps and pull quotes. As with many things in design, hierarchy is key.

7. No Budget? No Problem.
Budgets are being slashed around the world and publishing is taking its fair share. Fortunately, there are several inexpensive stock-art websites and photo-sharing sites such as flikr.com that can help out in a pinch. If illustration is a better match for the feature at hand, foster good working relationships with a small pool of illustrators. Illustrators are much more willing to negotiate if you’re a regular customer and can provide steady work. And when all else fails, create what you need. Choose a visual theme appropriate to the article and bask in the freedom. This is when design truly proves its value.

8. Design is in the Details
Take the time to check over the details of each page. Finishing touches are the difference between a professional end product and an amateur one. Clean up and double-check the file for rule alignment, overlapping text and image boxes, unresolved text spacing and breaks, and color matching (e.g., make sure that the same black is used throughout the whole issue).

9. Get to Know Your Printer
The physical production of each issue is a topic in and of itself, but there are a couple pitfalls that can be avoided by simply communicating with your printer. One of the biggest oversights when designing the interior of a magazine is failing to account for the spine. Depending on the size of your magazine and how it is bound, any element that crosses the gutter may lose necessary information such as text on a sign or facial features. Your printer can help you determine the amount of overlap necessary. Also, ask the printer for output specifications to assure that the high-resolution files you provide are compatible with its system. This saves everyone time and saves you extra processing costs.

10. The Big Picture
Designing a magazine is just as much about balance and organization as it is about the text and images on each page. From ad placement to the aesthetic of each feature, designing a magazine requires both a close eye to detail and, conversely, a healthy distance for perspective. The best magazine designers consider each article individually, how those articles fit into a particular magazine issue as a whole, and then how that issue fits into the larger publication set. The end result should showcase your cohesiveness, consistency, and creativity.

New web pages are being designed every day. Great web designers not only keep up with the rest of the pack, but stays ahead of it by tracking what the current trends in web design are. Right now the influence of print design on the web is making quite an appearance in online page design. While many consider the days of newspaper to be archaic and magazines to be a waste of trees, there is great design to be found in these publications. Using that as inspiration for your web pages could jump you up to the cream of the web designer crop.

Print publications have decades worth of experience in the type of design that works and is the most impactful. The best design is always powerful, clear, simple and easy to understand. Negative or white space is king when you are talking about print advertisements including billboards, magazine layouts, newspaper ads and other forms of visual marketing.

The Internet has not necessarily followed this method of reaching their target audiences and making a strong statement to their traffic. One of the greatest benefits to web design is that users are not restricted in what they can say. There is no per word charge when designing a webpage. There was also a lot of flexibility in what graphics could really do. Print advertising does not allow users to incorporate audio, video or Flash. The novelty of being able to design and use these tools is really the fuel for early webpage design.

Today, however, the market is asking for less clutter. They are overloaded with all the information available on the Internet. There is a demand for better search engines, easier to navigate websites, and simply less animation and distracting graphics in modern web design.

This type of design is especially frustrating and ineffective for businesses and marketers who are trying to get one message across. It is too easy for that simple message to get lost in the bells and whistles of an overly design website.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, web designers are going to the experts of old. Print publications have mastered these challenges and understand what it takes to get an audience’s attention.

Typography

The selection of a font is crucial in web page design. Designers need to have an understanding of how fonts affect a design in general, how they affect readers and how best to use them. Typography is design’s way of communicating without speaking. It is common knowledge that the written world can be easily misinterpreted since there are know vocal inflections or an idea of tone.  If your message is not clear or can be easily miscommunication, you lose impact. If you have a great message, but it does not stand out in your design, you lose impact. Designers have to find the right balance in order to properly communication with their target audience and traffic.

Editorial Layouts

When web design began, traditional layout rules were thrown out the window. Frames and tables were the thing and design revolved around creative ways to use them. However, with the demand for simplification and the popularity of blogs – today’s websites more closely resemble their print ancestors.

Print layout design, especially magazine layouts, is great for controlling content heavy sites as well. Not only are the advertisements influential, but the editorial content and design is becoming the go to for blogs, ezines and other content rich websites.

Big bold headlines are common using keywords that enhance SEO techniques. However, the art of the headline is the offspring of newsprint. Other common print approaches that are being used more in web design include indented text, quotations, text in multiple columns and sidenotes and footnotes.

Striking and interesting graphics and photography have always been fundamental parts of design. The layout of these images is also being influenced by traditional print layouts.

Of course, the reason websites were not using these techniques originally is the complication of creating pages using this design style. This is no different today. Beginning web designs may find it difficult to code this kind of layout since the advanced HTML and CSS can take up much more time than more common design approaches.

However, those designers who are familiar with traditional web design are looking for ways to make their sites more appealing and interesting. Incorporating print design ideas and layouts is one of the ways to make a designer’s work stand out. Magazine layouts are known to have even more impact than television advertising – this means spending time studying magazines and using them for inspiration and motivation.

Technologies evolve quicker than we can imagine. As soon as we think, we have mastered one web technology, a new better, expanded, and more flexible version or technology releases that switches the demand of the market to it, making you start learning the new technology as if you have never known it before. To many of us, including myself, it seems frustrating to have known one technology or version of technology very well to having to relearn most of it over a routinely based time frame.

For example, many have mastered HTML and CSS and felt confident enough to expand out onto new hacks and workaround methods that they completely forgot about the new technology that has recently arisen: HTML5 and CSS3. As HTML5 and CSS3 hit the market, they felt behind as web designers and developers as everyone around them understands the new technology while they have no idea what it may be about, and what is so great about the new versions or updates.

In order to avoid such results and to keep one-step ahead in the ever-evolving industry, we discuss several methods and techniques to keep up with the evolving technologies.

Technology Blogs

One of the easiest ways to keep up with the news on evolving technologies is to follow blogs that cover exactly that. Save the blog as a bookmark, have email notifications or RSS feeds setup, that way whenever new web technologies are announced, you will be one of the first to know about it.

This helps you understand the evolving market better, as well as keeps you in the loop ready to answer any questions clients may have about these new technologies. The worst to happen to you is to have clients ask you about the new web technologies when you have no idea whether they are available or not or how they work or affect the industry. Therefore, staying on top of the game is very important.

Official Sites

If technology blogs do not suit you well and are too slow for you to keep up with the industry, the best method you can follow is to keep updated with the official websites of the technologies you need to follow. This way, whenever any of these web technologies are changed, enhanced, or updated, you will know straight away as well as learn how to work with the new changes immediately by following through with their provided documentation.

Act on It

Keeping up to date with the new evolving web technologies is not enough to understand them and act on it. Instead, as they introduce new elements to these technologies reading about them then diving right into working with the new additions or changes actually helps you improve your skills along the way, and when these evolving technologies release mainstream as a whole, you will have a much better understanding about the changes and additions more than anyone else as you have constantly expanded on your skill set by expanding step by step into the changes and or additions.

For example, taking a look at CSS3, we realize that we were not following it as much as we should have, and we are now understanding what is new to it by following blogs that also just found out about certain additions. What this does is, you will be behind on months of information provided to the industry, and your learning process by expanding into the new version is slowed down greatly, always limiting what you can do and what you know about it. Therefore, always follow new information provided to the industry, and act on it accordingly.

Play with Delicious Samples

When you walk into a candy store or a bakery, you are always surprised by delicious samples they throw at you hoping you would enjoy what you just ate, and become a full time buyer of those products you sampled. Similarly, by not just getting hands on through tutorials or information, but rather by downloading working samples to play with you will be able to understand the technologies used a lot better than just theory.

Take the samples modify them, take them apart, break them, and make them work again. This allows you to fully understand what each element does and how it affects things overall, and what happens when you cause it to fail or break. This not only makes you a better developer, but it also helps you dive head first into the evolving technologies giving you a better understanding of how things actually work, and what type of effect they have, and how effective they are.

Watch Them Evolve

Sometimes getting hands on is not generally what you want but rather something overkill for the current time being. If that is the case for you, a better idea to keep up with the evolving technologies is to watch them evolve and transition into what they are today. Think of it as a bird’s eye view overlooking the landscape, watching animals flock, vehicles cross roads, and masses move. Using that concept, by watching the technologies evolve, you can better understand how they are moving to forecast how they will move in the future to better prepare you for what might be coming rather than what has already arrived.

The advantage of having the bird’s eye view is that you can prepare yourself or your firm for a transition into the future before the future arrives. This provides you and or your firm a running start to what can be done with these new technologies, keeping you and or your firm ahead of competitors in the industry and making you a leader instead of a follower.

To conclude, keeping up with the evolving technologies really depends on your motive and or current career. If you career or business depends on keeping up to date with evolving technologies, then it is in your best interest to acquire the information on new technologies the minute they are available. While there may be other methods out there to keep you following with evolving technologies, we hope the methods mentioned will help you get your ideas and methods formulated to work best for you.

In today’s news round-up we feature four powerful and new jQuery plugins that will add plenty of cool functionalties to your sites or applications.

Phono – jQuery Phone Plugin

Phono is a simple JQuery plugin and JavaScript library that turns any web browser into a phone; capable of making phone calls and sending instant messages. You can even connect to SIP clients; all with a simple unified API.
Phono – jQuery Phone Plugin

Wijmo – jQuery UI Widgets

Wijmo is a complete kit of over 30 jQuery UI Widgets. It is an extremely dangerous mixture of jQuery, CSS3, SVG, and HTML5 that when combined become an unstoppable force on the web.
Wijmo – jQuery UI Widgets

SlideNote – A jQuery Plugin For Sliding Notifications

SlideNote is a customizable, flexible jQuery plugin that makes it easy to display sliding notifications on your website or in your web application.
SlideNote – A jQuery Plugin For Sliding Notifications

IMGr – jQuery Image Rounder

IMGr is a jQuery plugin for rounding image corners. The script utilizes CSS3 in modern web browsers, and VML in Internet Explorer 8 and below.
IMGr – jQuery Image Rounder

By Paul Andrew (Speckyboyand speckyboy@twitter).

Just as there are fantastic web designs launched every year, there are even more websites launched that are atrocious and go too far with design. What are the parameters for an artist or web design creator on knowing when to step on the brakes with their design?

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The most common mistakes made in designing a website are:

Too Much, Too Soon

Ever opened a website and felt dizzy seeing too much content, color, intricate borders and graphics? The top web layouts always have just one or two focal points, nothing more. In the first place, you don’t have to limit the website to just one page. However, you should also not bombard your main home page with too many directional guides and links to the other pages. If a web design has too much going for it, it will be its own worst enemy. Remember that a visitor to the website has a million other site choices, and so your window of opportunity to keep him interested is so small and be just a matter of seconds. The general idea is that a person should be able to tell within 4 seconds after opening a site what it’s all about.

Using The Wrong Design Elements

You may know a lot about web design, but you do not have to use them all at once. Neither should you be random about which design elements to use.  For instance, if the website has products to sell, then do not let design detract from the product so much so that the person looks at the design rather than the product. Neither should you have elements that stop a person from buying by using “come on,” “wait,” or “there’s more” kind of tactics.

Getting Drunk on Contrasts

The use of contrast is a great design technique, but it can get in the way, especially if you try too hard to create a visual smorgasbord battling for attention. On the other hand, many designers tend to disregard the use of contrast because they know the content by heart, and fail to look at the design from the angle of a visitor.  Thus, they look at the overall effect, and end up using too light text color that affects visibility and readability.

Inconsistency From Top To Bottom, Side to Side

Often a web design gets attention because it has no focus, which means it’s not a compliment. Think of it as a room – you cannot have gothic mixed with country because they do not work together at all. It’s wrong to have a different theme for every page in your website, just as it can get to be too much if you keep changing the color scheme.

Creating a Navigational Maze

Web navigation refers to links to different parts of your website. An inconsistent web design uses different kinds of navigational designs in one page, or even in the entire website. Again, you need to maintain consistency. At the same time, the navigational keys should be concise and simple. This is the wrong aspect of the web design to “decorate.” It should be as easy for a 10 year old as it is for a 70 year old to figure out how to get to the Home Page or About Us page.

Making Web Design More Important Than the Content

Unless you are creating a design or artsy website, then content should reign supreme. The web design should not be the main selling point. It should be whatever the main focus of the site is. If anything at all, design should enhance content, and by doing so, get its due recognition.

Using Flash Techniques Improperly

A web design that incorporates a video that automatically pops up when a person goes to the Home Page should always have a Skip option. Making visitors go through the same Flash animation every time is abusive and inconsiderate. It will also cause a drop in interest. The same applies with music, especially in game sites. Not everyone wants to listen to the same tune again and again. There should be the option to lower the volume or put it in mute mode.

Playing Around With Text

Adding design to the fonts is generally a bad idea. People just want to read the content, not be impressed with its font, size, or color. It will also cause a problem with optimization. Thus, it is important to choose a font that is easy to read, and not be too small or too big.

Web design can easily go overboard, so the best way to avoid this problem is to have an objective independent person give you his or her point of view. If you get several opinions, you can come up with a consensus. Just choose your critics well.

It is always surprising how many fresh, innovative and always useful tools and resources appear from week-to-week from within the web design community. In this weeks design news round-up we take a look at four more cool and free new apps that may help you with your next web project.

The Square Grid

The Square Grid is a simple CSS framework for designers and developers, based on 35 equal-width columns. The grid is equiped with a 28px baseline-grid for a smooth vertical rhythm. Each block (DIV) is defined with a margin of 1 square (28px) from the next block. It aims to cut down on development time and help you create beautiful-structured websites.
The Square Grid ?

Jo – HTML5 Mobile App Framework

Jo is a new and lightweight JavaScript framework designed for HTML5 apps.
Jo – HTML5 Mobile App Framework ?

Frame Box – Lightweight Tool for Creating Mockups

Frame Box – Lightweight Tool for Creating Mockups ?

Ultimate CSS Gradient Generator

HTML5 introduced many exciting features for Web developers. One of the features is the ability to specify gradients using pure CSS3, without having to create any images and use them as repeating backgrounds for gradient effects. This easy to use copy-and-paste tool gives you complete control when creating your CSS3 gradient.
Ultimate CSS Gradient Generator ?

By Paul Andrew (Speckyboyand speckyboy@twitter).

The product is developed, the site is designed, it has content, it works, and it is ready to go! Well, many websites that are in this stage are not actually ready to go, but are closer to being ready for public release or launch.

As many of us, we tend to forget to perform many precautionary or pre-launch tests because either the project is quite large and many things are forgotten, or we become too excited to introduce our new flavor to the internet that we do not think about precautionary elements, but rather getting it out to the public and fast.

In order to help prevent precautionary methods or tests from being skipped, it is generally a good idea to make a nice laundry list on all the steps and tests you need to go through before deeming your website ready for launch as with any tangible products and goods. With that said, we cover five things that you generally need to do before launching your website in hope we are reminding you of that you may have forgotten to add to your pre-launch list.

Cross-Browser and Platform Checks

We all have a favorite browser that we tend to love, adore, and recommend to anyone who is not using it. What this means is, we generally tend to test our website design in our favorite browser the most than any other browser out there. In fact, this is one of the major issues we see with new launched websites that the design is sometimes messed up in the browser we use versus the browser it was mostly tested in. Therefore, visiting the homepage of your website in different browsers is not enough to deem it” alt=”" />

Not having the browsers installed onto your working environment is not a good excuse to not testing your website across multiple browsers. If you do not want to download each browser individually, there are a plethora of cross-browser testing suits and tools to fulfill the proper testing environment.

If you do not have a proper testing environment, it is a good time to get started on setting one up before coding your design as it is generally helpful to fix bugs along the way, rather than leave them to the end for fixing, which may lead to more troubles and bugs that you may have not seen or that may have been caused due to fixing other bugs.

Working Links

I admit, when I sometimes needed to link to dozens of tutorials or pages within my content I tended to get lazy on clicking every single link to assure they all work and lead to the correct location or page. However, I learned the hard way and faced having to spend more time going back and correcting the errors than just fixing them as I went along.

With that said, before launching your website, make sure you proofread your content and click on every link you provide within your website to assure they all link to the appropriate and intended locations as it will keep your website ranked higher, as well as you time in the long run.

Traffic Statistics

Before launching a website you need to make sure you get some sort of analytical program working to keep track of traffic and “hot spots” on your website. If marketed properly, we all know the most traffic we will get for a while would be on the first few days of launch, and not having any analytical program to keep track of how many visitors landed or where they are going on your websites good be a success or fail situation for your website as these few days are vital for improving your website to keep as many visitors as you possibly can.

Code Validation

I cannot stress enough on how valid code is just a key aspect that you cannot disregard when launching your website. There are so many benefits to valid code such as professionalism, better search engine optimization, and others, so do not disregard it, and spend the time needed to get all the tidbits fixed and to have that code ready.

To give you an example of accepting invalid code as a solution, let us say you are creating a tangible coffee mug that you plan to use every day. As you are creating this coffee mug, you notice that around the handle that you attached, there some holes and imperfections within the clay.

You know that if you do not fix the imperfections and holes that you will have a leak of coffee, making the mug unusable, so you decide to opt in to fix the imperfections to enjoy your cups of coffee in the long run. Similarly, these imperfections in the mug are like having invalid code, and you know that if you do not fix them, you may have troubles in the future with the many aspects discussed earlier. Therefore, try your best to get your code validated to future proof your website.

Printer Friendly

If your website is content based such as articles, tutorials, and the likes, make sure you create a style sheet specific for printing. The worst thing anyone comes across is printing out a website to only get the header and some bits of text rather than the full text, and less the header and advertisements. Therefore, in order to have open arms to the growth of your website and to not face this printing issue later on, create the style sheet and test it out in many different case scenarios, long or short, wide or not to make sure the desired printing result is what you get every time.

Overall, getting your website prepared for launch may be a long task, but it is worthwhile. While we covered only a few important things you need to make sure you get right before launch, we hope this encouraged you to whip up your own list, and to stick to it when you launch your next website.

Minimalistic designs are trending in today’s world. The reason for that is designers are looking and aiming at creating designs that are lightweight and friendly to the viewers yet elegant in its own way. Who would have thought it would be trending with all the delicious technology that is being rolled out such as CSS3 and HTML5.

For those who are creating minimal yet modern designs, we discuss six different elements or aspects that deem a design minimalistic.

Grid Based

Grid based web design is major key role in minimalistic design and there are reasons for that. Grid systems already provide locations for certain bits and widths and lengths and the like for all sorts of applications and content that are being implemented. Think of it as the blueprint of a design, everything is well laid out for you; all you need to do is add to it and give it flavor.

The nice thing about grid systems is they allow you to play with creativity as well as strengthen your layouts and design eliminating busy and chaotic designs that generally arise. Therefore, following the grid system is a key to minimalist design.

Light Background Textures and Patterns

Another piece of the minimalist puzzle is to have lightweight background textures and patterns. Remember, minimalistic design is all about simplicity and lightweight elements, which means complex patterns and textures are not part of it.

The background textures or patterns should have a light shade or color transition from the foreground, making it a real background piece where the eyes can focus on the content or main container and not on the fancy or busy background.

Clear Typography

If the typography is not clear and fairly large for easy reading your design will not technically be lightweight. With that said, keep the typography clear and readable and in some cases hierarchical for a nice clean minimalistic design.

Minimize Icon Use

Let us face it, many designs either use icons way too much or do not use at all, leaving pages overcrowded or less understandable. Minimalistic design is all about being lightweight to an extent, and thus, minimizing icon use is key, which means that icons should be used where absolutely needed and eliminated or minimal where optional.

White space is Delicious

Minimalism in design is all about the white space. No matter how “minimal” you make your design, it is not minimalistic without proper white spacing. With that said, use white space liberally across your design and around many elements as white space keeps things separate and ultimately better and easier to work withand read.

Modern Technologies

Many minimalistic designs today use modern technologies to provide their approach or “uniqueness” to their designs. What this means is, they used jQuery effects and the likes, very minimally however, to achieve certain goals such as an auto scroll back to the top of the page or the likes.

Now you may be thinking that this is complicating the design and loses the whole point of minimalism however, minimalistic design is all about using technologies and elements minimally but not eliminating them as a sole factor completely.

With that said, I am not encouraging the extensive use of jQuery effects, CSS3 magic, and the likes, however, using the technologies wisely can set you apart from other minimalistic designs keeping it minimal while introducing new techniques and flavor to the concept.

Registration before Checkout

Many websites will not allow their new potential customers to add products to their basket before registering to the service or site. This is something you want to stay away from at any given point in time as your users or potential customers can go elsewhere to purchase similar products. With that said, leave the registration process for the checkout process where it is more suitable.

Showcase

Now that we have discussed elements and techniques that build on minimalistic design, it is best to see these techniques and methods in action to better grasp the idea of minimalism in design. Furthermore, we showcase four designs that we think are top in minimalistic implementation.

DBushell

This design really incorporates minimalism while keeping modern technologies scattered throughout the design. The color contrast between the white and grey really pulls minimalism to the front while keeping nice touches of color about.

Toy NY

Toy NY is another great example of minimalistic design along with a mix of great animation using flash technologies. It proves precisely that minimalistic design is not all about limiting technology use, but rather how you use them.

Ah-Studio

Ah studio is just an amazing design implementing neat typography with great images and effects while keeping the entire design simple and lightweight. In order to keep it as simple as possible, they integrated all their pages or sub pages within one and using Javascript technologies, they implemented the navigation to scroll through the content to get to each individual page. Another great example that shows off minimalistic design while utilizing modern technologies.

Checkland KindleySides

This design utilizes flash technology to bring its design together. However, it keeps the minimalistic concept in check. It contains nice illustrations and animation effects while browsing about while it alongside keeps a nice lightweight minimal design throughout. A true piece of art that shows off what they do best in simple terms.

Conclusion

To conclude, minimalistic design is all about creativity and the use of technologies wisely in a way where the elements in use have blended in well enough to not make the design busy but rather minimal and modern.

Think of minimalistic design as having a clear canvas in front of you with a paintbrush. You can paint so many things on this canvas but what you choose determines whether your artwork is a masterpiece or whether it is something to set aside in your pile of other paintings. My point is, the amount of color, shades, elements, lighting, and others that you implement into your painting gives your painting a characteristic and classifies under many categories, and minimalistic web design is exactly that.

If you take all the available technologies and “paint” it together in a certain way, your design can be characterized as minimalistic or feature filled, or highly illustrated. It is how you use the available resources is what determines where it classifies. Therefore, in minimalistic design, let your creativity flow, but not exceed the canvas, or in this case, the characteristics or key elements that make minimalistic design what it is.

A massive question was posted recently on Answers, asking what exactly DESIGN is. We know it is such a broad question with no clear and defined answer, but it would be interesting to hear from our readers and find out from them what they think design is?

Here is Wikipedias definition of DESIGN:

No generally-accepted definition of “design” exists, and the term has different connotations in different fields. Informally, “a design” refers to a plan for the construction of an object and “to design” refers to making this plan. However, one can also design by directly constructing an object.

You can leave your answer in the comment section below, or you can leave your answer on the original question on Answers here: Fill in the Blank: Design is _____?

This question was originally asked by David Baker.

Here are some of the Answers we have received so far:

So, what is DESIGN to you?

Thanks to everyone who asked a question, but most importantly thanks to everyone that took the time and effort to offer helpful and useful answers.