Less is more? The more the merrier? The everlasting debate between minimalism and everything that minimalism stands against is filled with cliches, but the core of the debate is far from the banal. In the world of web design, it is more and more prominent. As web designers discover more visual means to express themselves, the minimalist opposition becomes stronger and stronger. Every XXL logo, every colorful layout, every flashy animation is countered with basic fonts, simple structures  and black&white tones.

Both minimal and extravagant web design are trendy and both are impressive when well executed, which makes it even harder to answer the question – which one is better? The obvious answer, “it depends”, is a little too obvious. Of course, designing a minimal website for an elementary-school softball team is probably not a good idea, nor is extensive use of clip-art for an architecture firm, but what about the more ambiguous cases?

For instance, here are two very cool sites that offer photography services. One has a very pale, clean cut. The other is more lively and vibrant:

Or what about these two, both in the web design business? These are not just different web design styles, they are completely different philosophies.

The recent developments in the web design sphere have shaken many old beliefs. Minimalism, for instance, is not necessarily a code name for user-friendly. Playfulness and colors, on the other hand, do not automatically indicate creativity.

Also, together with the tendency of web design to grow as an art form, web designers are using some of their projects as statements, ignoring the eternal demand to think about the users first and pumping the internet with works that are clearly directed at extremely loud or extremely plain web  design.

The battle is getting feisty. The web is filled with forums, blogs and networks that praise either the minimal web design or the flashier one. They even have different preferences for softwares and web design tools. Each group presents strong arguments and examples, and when it comes to personal taste, there’s no point in trying to convert minimalists or expressionists. Maybe the important thing is to understand that in this universe of plenty, there is enough room for all kinds of web design.