They’re missing the core philosophy and the historical context of minimalism, and they risk increasing complexity rather than reducing it. They cut or hide important elements in pursuit of a minimalist design for its own sake-not for the benefits that strategy might have for users. Unfortunately, some designers misinterpret minimalism as a purely visual-design strategy. Minimalism sometimes presents as an attempt to prioritize content over the chrome and, when applied correctly, it can help you focus your design to simplify user tasks.
Many of today’s most popular design trends (including flat design, large background images, and hidden global navigation) are directly or indirectly influenced by minimalism, a web-design movement that began in the early 2000’s, but borrows its philosophy from earlier movements in the fields of fine art and human–computer interaction.
