In Defense of Simple Design

One of the criticisms of responsive design I have heard repeatedly is that it only works on simple web sites and that many responsive layouts have moved to a one-column. For someone who appreciates minimalism, I am very glad to see the marriage between simple design and responsive layout.

When I first got into the game, the web was extremely busy: animated gifs, background with repeated tiles, Flash intro and loud audio. I was overwhelmed with the trend and needed something simpler. As a result, I focused more on simplicity. Catharine Fishel’s Minimal Graphics: The Powerful New Look of Graphic Design was the first book that opened up my world to simple design. There was something about the focus on the main subject of a design that attracted me. When I started doing freelance work, simple design was something that I pitched to clients and they all liked it.

Responsive design makes perfect sense to me when I started two years ago because it allows me to focus on the content. My practice of doing simple design prepared me for the transition. Now that I see more and more sites are becoming simpler. Maybe responsive design has forced designers to focus more on the contents and that is all good for the web.

Beacon of HOV