Datasheet
CHAPTER ONE THE DISTINCTION OF WEB DESIGN
19
interface, don’t add it. If there is a way to achieve something on the page with fewer
objects, elements or visual points of interest, it’s worth doing, as the likelihood for dis-
traction will be minimized.
Minimalism
Minimalism is a method that encourages simplicity by preventing the enhancement of ele-
ments until it is required. It is about taking something of existing complexity (like an
existing site) and stripping away every element that doesn’t need to be complex. is con-
cept aims to deconstruct and improve the site with fewer or an equal number of features
of the same complexity level. With simplicity, you aim to strip existing objects down into
their core components. In minimalism, you start with only what’s necessary and build
upon that (when improvement is demanded).
Reductionism
Reductionism follows a more scienti c process than the previous two; it is the idea that if
something complex is taken and reduced to its most fundamental parts, you can better
understand its nature. Within the scope of distinctive design, you nd that if you investi-
gate how particular parts of a site function, you can determine where emphasis may occur.
From there, you learn to improve the object. As an example, take the search engine results
page. Consider where your eyes are naturally drawn. Decide if that’s where you would like
your visitor to look or if it should be changed.
Holism
Finally, it’s worth noting the holistic approach, which acts in opposition to reductionist
theories (within design). Aristotle said that “the whole is more than the sum of its parts,”
and within the concept of design, this often holds true. Although you can reduce a site
down to a basic level to understand how things function, you need to visualize those parts
in context of the whole page. Never just assume that making a site simpler or smarter will
resolve every problem, because some issues result from outside in uences that are di -
cult to measure. is e ect is magni ed on the web.
Tip
When assigning a level of importance to the components of your website,
separate text from images and other forms of media (providing their distinction
levels) because the level of emphasis a video and other input mediums (like
audio) endure are far greater than what text provides.
05_9781119992981-ch01.indd 1905_9781119992981-ch01.indd 19 5/13/11 2:13 PM5/13/11 2:13 PM