
If you’re cutting down on text, you might be inclined to add more images and graphics to fill the space. Clicking through your course screen by screen, ask yourself: does everything in my course serve a purpose? If not, it probably needs to go. Let’s look at the same content, built in Rise 360.Īnother option is to take a step back and consider what your training would look like with one less element. So you try to cram everything you can into a single slide.īut what if, instead, you gave the content space to breathe and presented things one at a time? You get a course that people can digest bit by bit instead of all at once. There is no lack of studies, infographics, research papers, testimonials, and thoughtful quotes to support the topic. But then, when you try to cram all that information into a shorter course, you need every single millimeter of space. Research can take over a project and turn the most well-intentioned “quick introductory” course into a 100-slide behemoth. This is easy to conceive, but harder to put into practice. It’s important to leave “breathing space” around your design elements to give your learners a visual break. White Spaceĭon’t underestimate the power of white space.

#Aesthetic and minimalist design free#
Check out this article for a great example of this idea (and a link to a free PowerPoint download). Using a pop of contrasting color has even more impact when the rest of your training uses a limited palette. The one exception here is if you want to draw the learner’s attention to a certain point. It will unify the look of your course and immediately give it a sense of cohesion. If you want to really challenge yourself, use a single hue. Instead of a traditional four-color palette, trim it to just two. This can lead to a lot of visual clutter. The inclination when creating minimalist designs is to rely more on color to make elements stand out and relay importance. One important principle of minimalist design is to “use one less element than you want to.” The same goes for color. Keeping the text a little smaller than the associated image creates more harmony. If you try to make the text fill the same space as the image, you’re left with a crowded-looking design. Both are a great way to draw focus and make your content stand out.įor instance, in the Rise 360 image and text block below, you can see the impact of contrasting a dominant image on the left with smaller text on the right. You can also use contrasting elements, like a large feature image or a graphic paired with smaller text. After all, you should already be using high-contrast colors to make your designs dyslexia-friendly.īut using high-contrast colors is just the beginning. That’s because color contrast is a great start. You’ll often see black-and-white schemes employed in minimalist designs.

Let’s walk through these design principles and some considerations to keep in mind for embracing a minimalist design aesthetic in your e-learning. Following a few simple design principles can also help you determine what elements are truly necessary to tell your story. Using a minimalist design approach in your e-learning can help learners focus on and then remember what they really need to know and do. The graceful spire of the Washington Monument, the terse language of Ernest Hemingway, even the bold typography and simple lines of the label on a can of tomato soup (you know the one)-they leave lasting impressions on us because of their artful use of only a few elements.
