The earliest websites were minimal in the extreme, but without the style and flair to make a virtue of their simplicity. 37signals and Kottke pioneered the combination of simplicity with deft design sense. Cardigan made it art.
Although it is never popular, never the dominant trend, rarely wins design awards, and almost never earns acclaim from designers, design stripped down to its essentials is always a good idea, and especially on the web, where every byte counts. We salute the old and new practitioners of minimalist web design, and solicit your thoughts on pioneers or present practitioners who combine a minimalist aesthetic with significant design chops.
- 37signals home page, 27 November 1999
- 37signals detail page (first signal), 27 November 1999
- Kottke.org, home of fine hypertext products, 9 March 2000
- Kottke.org, home of fine hypertext products today
- Drudge Report, 10 December 1997
- Drudge Retort
- cardigan.com by Dean Allen (abandoned 2001)
- Wilson Miner
- Subtraction.com by Khoi Vinh
- WordPress Neutica theme designed by Allan Cole (Hat tip: Oliver Lorton)
[tags]design, webdesign, minimalism, history, web design history[/tags]
