While searching for some icons for a recent project I came across some great minimalist icon and symbol sets and thought I’d expand my search and share my findings here with you.

Please note that some of those sets are not free and of course make sure you read the license before using them.

Devine Icons ↓

Only2 Icons ↓

Simple Small Icons ↓

Iconic ↓

Mnml Icon Set ↓

Aiga Symbol Signs ↓

Patricia Clausnitzer’s PC Icons ↓

PICOL Icons ↓

Ecqlipse 2 ↓

Wireframe Toolbar Icons ↓

Devine Icons Part II ↓

Sanscons ↓

bwpx.icns ↓

Goo-EE ↓

Default Icons ↓

Icon Sweets ↓

Mini Icons 2 ↓

iPhone Toolbar Icons ↓

Glyphish ↓

Token ↓

Pictoico ↓

Bitcons ↓

Brightmix Iconset ↓

Android Menu Icons ↓

Monochrome Symbols Icon Set – Part 5 ↓

BacktoPixel ↓

Symbolize Icon Set ↓

Marker Vector Set ↓

Helveticons ↓

Webdesigner Sketchup Icons ↓

30 Vector Icons ↓

Twotiny ↓

Kostenlose Icons ↓

Minimalist Pixel Icon Set ↓

SimplyBold Vector Set ↓

Symbol Signs collection ↓

Socialmonochromicons v.2 ↓

Rocky Vector Set ↓

108 Mono Icons ↓

Pictos ↓

Your Turn To Talk

What do you think? Have you used one of those sets in a project before? Did I miss any? Please feel free to chime in and leave a comment below!

A great quote by Albert Einstein can sum up minimalism (in my opinion) 100%.

Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler.

In essence, this is exactly what minimalism in web design is – saying something as simple as possible, but not simpler. It’s a beautiful thing. So, below I’ve rounded up 40 amazing minimalist web designs for you to be inspired by.

The Consult ↓

Sideshow Press ↓

Adam Hoganson ↓

Invoko ↓

Maxence Guillaume ↓

Made With Love ↓

Royale ↓

Proclaim Design ↓

Web Is Love ↓

I am Docto ↓

Jack Osborne ↓

Rodney Keeling ↓

The Rules of a Gentleman ↓

David Salvatori ↓

Brett Arthur ↓

Infinitum ↓

Kilian Muster ↓

Druck Deine Diplomarbeit! ↓

Design Vetica ↓

We Are Sofa ↓

Nation ↓

Bedrich Rios ↓

Definium ↓

Salvator ↓

West Coast Design Co. ↓

Benny Roth ↓

Simon Collison ↓

SucraM ↓

Bill Gates ↓

Distinctive Catering ↓

Breezy Baby ↓

Neue Blanc ↓

Corvid Creative ↓

Jump Media ↓

Speak Creative ↓

Matt Kursmark ↓

Information Highwayman ↓

Public Facing ↓

52 Weeks of UX ↓

Carsonispace ↓

Which design is your favorite?

Let us know in the comments which design from the list above is your favorite. If there’s one you love that isn’t on the list, feel free to link it in the comments so we can check it out – We’re always on the hunt for amazing minimalism here on SpyreStudios :)

However, despite the wave of endless technology a lot of entrepreneurs, designers, and programmers are seeing the light, quite literally. Minimalist offices aren’t about making things more difficult – although they occasionally can – but about changing the dynamics around work. From eliminating needless comforts to boosting overall work output, investing in a minimalist office can have a number of interesting, inspiring, and unusual effects for your business.

Less Technology = Fewer Distractions

While technology is often sold as a way for us to help ourselves work, once it hits the tipping point it can become nothing but an unwanted and unnecessary distraction. An office stocked with a desk phone, cell phone, and VOIP program is no more able than one without, but it’s packed with distractions just waiting to rob you of your time.

Instead of having an application, appliance, or utility for anything and everything, invest in gear that covers you in 90% of all situations. You’ll quickly find that a lot of gear, both physical and virtual, allows you to do almost anything in your regular office routine without cluttering your desk space and PC desktop. Cut down on technology and you’ll become less distracted, more productive, and much better at your work.

Single-tasking cuts down on wasted time

Five screens are great for trading currencies, but they’re not particularly worthwhile for most digital workers. As online workers, we have a tendency to pick up everything we need for our PCs (or Macs, if you prefer) without thinking about the utility. As a result, applications stack up in the taskbar and we quickly lose track of just how much there is that’s robbing us of time.

Instead of having everything open at once, with your attention constantly divided between them, why not stick with the same three basic applications at once? Instead of keeping your instant messenger open 24/7, why not cut it out of your work routine entirely and focus on single-tasking alone? When you take distractions out of the equation altogether, you’re free to focus on the task at hand.

You don’t need that much technology to work

Really, you don’t. Even as web designers, the bulk of our work is carried out in the same catalog of five programs. From coding to graphics, flash animation to on-site testing, the vast majority of web design work can be performed on a PC that’s almost freshly set up. Outside of the core graphics suites and coding applications, software quickly becomes overkill.

Jon Phillips’s workstation. (see on Workstation Setups)

It’s a similar situation on the hardware side of the equation. Multiple monitors are gold for productivity, but extra technology in other places doesn’t really serve any purpose. Take a ‘technology audit’ of your office, and cut out anything that takes up space but doesn’t provide any direct application.

Technology robs you of energy

Ever get off your computer and feel sleep-starved, uncomfortable, and overwhelmingly tired? Staring at a computer screen isn’t just boring, but energy-zapping and somewhat unhealthy. Night owls are especially at risk – staring at a computer screen well into the night tricks the body into believing that it’s day, which makes the post-work sleep even more difficult. Instead of nodding off instantly, you lie there sleep starved and still convinced it’s 2pm.

If you’re a late-night worker, there’s one simple way you can make the transition from work to sleep easier: get off the computer earlier. Cut your computer time out an hour before you begin sleep, and spend the time in low light, still working. A break from the computer screen isn’t just about switching into night mode, but inspiring productivity and creativity – some of the best business ideas and innovations happen when we’re slightly tired and free from technology (at least that’s the case for many of us).

Improvisation keeps work fresh and interesting

It’s much more fun to have to think on your feet than to be able to fall back on the same old tools and applications. A desktop toolbar loaded with fix-all programs and do-everything applications certainly helps with efficiency and workload, but it steals away creativity and makes work, quite frankly, boring.

Instead of having everything at your fingertips, set up your office so tasks require improvisation and occasional analytical thinking. With the elimination of just a few tools, you workday can become more interesting, significantly more creative, and switch your mind from office-drone mode to that of an inspired, innovative entrepreneur. Challenges aren’t always bad, and sometimes it’s best to embrace them somewhere as comfortable as the office.

Your Turn To Talk

So, how is your office? Are you the ‘stuff everywhere’ type or do you embrace minimalism? Please take a minute to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

The designers of these blogs knew what was important and made sure that the website focused on those pieces, and for that – we appreciate them.

Share Some Candy ↓

DFCKR ↓

Brand New ↓

Information Architects ↓

The Designed ↓

Heartworker ↓

Beyond the Pixels ↓

Jaboo ↓

Jonathan Snook ↓

Kim Ellefsens Blog ↓

Human Resources ↓

Burstoid ↓

Max Voltar ↓

Stefan Persson ↓

Triimpuls ↓

andread.it ↓

The Old Fashioned ↓

Novak ↓

Nathan Borror ↓

The Post Family ↓

Inkcover ↓

Aphichat Panjamanee ↓

Design View ↓

This Made My Day ↓

Posh CSS ↓

daus.trala.la ↓

Arbol Textual ↓

Cynosura ↓

Reachably ↓

Quality Peoples ↓

Huwshimi ↓

Blanketrash ↓

It’s Nice That ↓

Do it for the fame ↓

Minima ↓

Stuart Hobday ↓

Spinz ↓

Daring Fireball ↓

MAY ↓

I Love Typography ↓

In conclusion

I know the readers here have some minimal designs that weren’t on the list, so feel free to drop a comment and let us know. We’d love to check out your minimal sites – we seriously love them!

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I tried to find sites that use a greyscale color scheme but that also introduce a vibrant and/or contrasting color, usually for links and buttons. Most of the sites on this list use at most 3 or 4 colors (black, white, shade of grey, contrasting color) excluding pictures and images that are placed in the content area.

The websites are listed alphabetically. Hope you enjoy it!
*Warning: Lots of whitespace ahead! :)

5 Thirty One ↓

72 Rivington Street ↓

39/18 ↓

80/20 Studio ↓

Aen Tan ↓

Andy Rutledge ↓

Anthony James Bruno ↓

Arias ↓

Astheria ↓

Beyond Standards ↓

Big Kid ↓

Brilliancy ↓

Bryan Culver ↓

Cade Martin ↓

Daniel Howells ↓

Daniel Oliver ↓

David Airey ↓

The Deck ↓

Eduardo de la Roque ↓

Derek Bender ↓

Eightface ↓

Feed A Fever ↓

Fell Swoop ↓

FRKT ↓

Header Footer ↓

Hello Stefan ↓

Jamie Gregory ↓

Joni Korpi ↓

Jon Tangerine ↓

LindenTibbets ↓

Made By On ↓

Make Tea ↓

Martin Hipp ↓

Max Voltar ↓

Middle Mind Project ↓

Minimal Sites ↓

NUYU ↓

Offset Media ↓

Oh Deer ↓

Olex ↓

Peter Rozek ↓

Pixel Bot ↓

Rikcat Industries ↓

Rodrigo Galindez ↓

Shaun Inman ↓

Site Inspire ↓

Stefan Persson ↓

Strange Beautiful ↓

Subtraction ↓

Superrevolver ↓

Thirty One West ↓

Voce Antica ↓

Welcome To HR ↓

Year Of The Sheep ↓

Yoo Tae Han ↓

Z8 ↓

Your Turn To Talk

I hope you enjoyed this post! Please share your favorites with the rest of us – I love to read what other people like about minimalist designs and layouts. And what do you think of monochrome designs? Love ‘em? Hate ‘em?

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Of course I like darker designs! In fact, I recently launched a new site called Design-Newz, which definitely falls into the ‘dark designs’ category! Of course after I got the general idea and was done with the wireframing, I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to do and needed some inspiration! This time I figured I’d go with a dark design. So here are some sites I came across while looking for inspiration. Hope you like them! :)

Here we go, in no particular order:

The 99 Percent Conference

Stefan Velthuys

Tweet CC

Tic Toc

Couch Creative

Ole Martin Kristiansen

Brynn Shepherd

Just Dot

LegiStyles

Kurt Gannon

Jarad Johnson

Visual Box

Flush Inc

Marek Levak – Designme

Redworks

Design Junction

deCode

Chris Garrett

Card Observer

Black Estate Vineyard

Your Turn To Talk

So, which ones are your favorites? And why? See ya in the comment section! :)

That’s my little contribution to the design community! Hope you’ll find it useful! :)
Oh and of course feel free to subscribe to the RSS feed!

But, when I started thinking of redesigning SpyreStudios I thought I’d go with a very minimalist approach so that the focus really is on the articles/posts and the comments. I dropped the usual sidebar and also reduced the overall width to 700px. Hey, you can’t blame the guy for trying something different, right? :)

Here are some websites I really liked that inspired the redesign of SpyreStudios (in no particular order):

Self Conclusion

Design Snips

Five Simple Steps

Feel Wire

Distrop

Shaun Inman

Huge Type

Jason Santa Maria

Indie Labs

Emptees

Rockable Press

Matt Bango

Vitor Lourenco

Mr. Tweet

Scroll Magazine

Your Turn To Talk

So, you can now go ahead and bombard me with your favorite minimalist designs :)
Which ones are you favorites, and why?