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I'm a developer who sometimes gets stuck with design work for websites. Having no design training whatsoever, I find that minimalism is the form in which I will

I'm a developer who sometimes gets stuck with design work for websites. Having no design training whatsoever, I find that minimalism is the form in which I will embarrass myself the least, and the one which requires the least amount of photoshop/illustrator know-how to get running. For me, it is the path of least resistance that still gets the job done. I agree with the author entirely, minimalism is big right now, but it's silly to take that as a sign that it is the One Divinely Ordained Design Choice. But I wonder how much of minimalism on the web is a result of situations like mine.

joshuacc 16y ago
You're totally right. It's typically much better for developers to go the minimalist route. I just like keeping all design options open. :-)
bradendouglass 16y ago
On board with the both of you. In addition, minimalism in design often involves minute tweaks to make the overall better, easier, or whatever. This method is very reminiscent of how developers optimize code (should).
antonioono 16y ago
"I think [Steve Jobs'] choice of a minimalist aesthetic comes from his fear of making the wrong aesthetic choice." If Alan Deutschman is correct, you are in good company. That said, I think many people forget that, while it's harder to screw up a "minimalist" design, it's also harder to create truly outstanding minimal design. The recent minimalism trend only perpetuates the conflation of simplicity and easiness. People also seem to conflate functional and aesthetic minimalism a lot.