Honest design
minimalism.com
“The simpler and more intuitive you can make something, the better. Most of us know the feeling of being overwhelmed by technical complexity, but lately also by endless possibilities within the virtual world. Values can help here to guide us in what is right—for society and for us personally.” – Oliver Grabes
Honest design
Craft with good intentions
Honest design does not manipulate people by pretending it is something it is not, or mask imperfections to hide shortcomings, or waste people's time. It doesn't aim to crowd-please, it isn't fashionable or a novelty, and doesn't rely on decorative elements or special effects that want to be seen as design details. Instead, honest design is considered, understandable, and puts utility first. It is has aesthetic qualities that make the experience of using it a pleasure, which happen to align with its usefulness. If it's a work in progress, it will say it loud and clear. If it's experimental, it will not set expectation.
An honest website is a website that tries its best to not waste our time when we’re using it. It tries to make my experience as pleasurable as possible. Its UI and UX is optimized for ease of use, for readability, for speed, for wasting as little bandwidth as possible.
Honest design means to do whatever you can in order to maximize everything good out of a product and minimize everything that's negative or wasteful or distracting. Ultimately, honest design is done with good intentions, regardless of the result.
01 – Journal
Read entries from the archive of the Minimalism Life® community journal
02 – Minimal art
From our curated gallery
03 – Minimal design
Explore our list of curated design resources
Minimalissimo (magazine)
Introduction to minimal design (article)
Designing for ambient computing (article)
A lesson with A G Fronzoni (book)
iA Writer Pro (tool, software)
04 – Minimal lifestyle
Explore our list of curated lifestyle resources for simple living
Sit: time to do nothing (tool, software)
A simpler life (book)
Essentialism (book)
05 – Shop
Discover our hand-picked minimalist products in the Minimalism Life® shop
06 – Brands anchored by simplicity and sustainability
Minimalism can be about frugality and owning less, but it can also be about supporting ethical brands with sustainability at their core. Here’s several that you might be interested learning more about:
Nordic Knots: Rugs inspired by the beauty of the Nordic light
Selfmade: Handmade eyewear
ASKET: Ending fast fashion by making covetable everyday essentials
Wahts: Minimal monochromatic menswear
OMNES: Sustainable and affordable fashion
Discover more minimal brands on minimalism.com