minimalism in graphic design

If you ever wondered what is the most overlooked aspect of design craft, look no further – it’s user interfaces. Good or bad, user interfaces are everywhere: on websites, on mobile phones, televisions sets, wrist watches, airplanes and washing machines.Some user interfaces take two people to operate. Not my cup of tea.Whenever there is a user, there is user interface. Likewise, whenever there is a frustrated user, there’s usually a case of bad user interface.As graphic and web designers, our job is not only create good looking stuff – it’s to create stuff that’s actually easy to use and creates minimum user interface friction. In other words, we need to think how people are actually going to use our websites or apps and do our best to make their life easier.If you think that still involves just a few properly placed buttons and links, think again – some of the highest paying projects on 99designs require solely user interface design, for web or mobile applications. It’s both an art and a science, with very few stars in the arena (Apple being one of them).To get started, let’s take a look on current trends in user interface design.

Minimalism

After years of bells and whistles, user interface design is going back to basics – at least according to some big name companies, including Google and Microsoft to name a few. Glossy icons are replaced by simpler one-color versions or text-based buttons, rich gradients with simple solid color combinations.Minimalistic interfaces are definitely taking off. Top: Windows 8 uses monochromatic icons and simple solid colors for its new interface. Bottom:Pinterest user interface is the ultimate minimalism – apart from user content, very few things take up space on the screen.For majority of users, this lack of visual detail works astonishingly well – the interface is easy to digest and its elements don’t get in the way of the tasks they’re trying to accomplish.When to use it: minimalism is a great way to design a web application