library website design for minimalists

Library Site Design for Minimalists

Les is Mor

Monday, October 28, 13

“Less” what?

• Less garnish

• Less flourish

• Less “fun”

• Less “kid friendly”

• Fewer Pages

• Fewer features


“More”... what?

•More longevity

•More credibility

• Better performance

•More sustainability

•More money left over


Ship it!

• The best new site you can offer your patrons is the one you launch NOW

•Minimal Viable Product

•Continuous iteration


Seven Trends


1. Mobile First & Responsive

“Losing ... screen space forces teams to focus. You have to make sure what stays on the screen is the most important set of features for your customers and your business. There simply isn’t any room for interface debris....”

-- Luke Wroblewski, Mobile First


2. Typography

“Typography exists to honor content”

-- Robert Bringhurst


3. CSS3 (“Code First”)

• using images for gradients, shadows, etc, is sooo 2009.

•CSS is future-friendly, stable, performant, genuine


4. Flat

• A super trend

•Minimalists, rejoice


5. The Browser

•Design and prototype in the browser ASAP in your process.


6. CMSes

•Not really a new trend, but still a trend...

• It’s easy to create all the pages you want a huge mess

•Careless or hasty use of the CMS will create a content management nightmare, especially during migration or redesign.


No More Slideshows

• “We need a carousel thingy like Anytown Library’s new site.” --Every Librarian Ever

• “Did you see the new event Anytown Library was promoting on its website’s third of seven homepage carousel slides?!?” -- No Patron Ever

• “When marketing wins....” -- Jared Spool


ThanksSean F. Fitzpatrick | [email protected] | @sffitzpatrick

seanfrancisfitzpatrick.com/il2013


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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october 28