Alright, so today I wanted to share a bit about what I worked on. I’d been seeing some stuff here and there, kind of minimalist design, and the name Patrick Haney kept popping up in relation to that aesthetic. I figured, why not try and replicate that kind of vibe? Just as a personal exercise, you know?
Getting Started with the Idea
So, the plan was pretty loose. I wasn’t trying to copy any specific piece attributed to him directly, more capture the feeling – clean lines, lots of white space, really focused content. I decided to build a super simple, one-page layout. Maybe something you’d use for a personal intro or a tiny project showcase.
First thing I did was just open up my code editor. Plain HTML file. I started throwing down the basic structure. You know, the usual stuff – header, a main section, maybe a small footer. Didn’t want to get bogged down in fancy frameworks or anything. Just pure, simple HTML and CSS.
The Actual Process: Stripping Things Down
I roughed out some text content. Just placeholder stuff mostly. Then came the styling. This is where I really tried to channel that minimalist idea. My first instinct, honestly, was to add more. A border here, a background color there. But I had to consciously stop myself.
I focused heavily on typography. Spent a good chunk of time just playing around with different font combinations – one for headings, one for body text. Needed something readable but also clean. Settled on a pretty standard sans-serif pairing eventually. Less is more, right?
Then came the spacing. Man, getting the margins and padding just right took way longer than I expected. It’s funny how empty space can be so hard to manage. I kept tweaking values, previewing, tweaking again. Trying to make it feel balanced and not just… empty.
- Tried a centered layout first. Looked okay, but felt a bit too common.
- Switched to a left-aligned approach for the main text block. That felt a bit better, more classic.
- Removed almost all color. Just black text on a white background, maybe one subtle accent color for a link or something, but even that I debated.
- Fought the urge to add images or icons. Kept it purely text-focused for this exercise.
Where I Stumbled
The hardest part? Resisting complexity. Every step of the way, my brain wanted to add dividers, boxes, little graphical flourishes. Saying ‘no’ to those ideas and stripping it back down to essentials was the real challenge. It felt unnatural at times, like I wasn’t ‘designing’ enough.
Also, ensuring it looked decent on different screen sizes with such minimal CSS was a bit tricky. Had to rely purely on basic fluid principles and sensible breakpoints, no complex grids or anything.
What I Ended Up With
In the end, I got a very, very simple page. Just a heading, a paragraph or two, and a footer. Nothing earth-shattering. But it felt… intentional. It wasn’t fancy, but it was clean. It didn’t perfectly capture everything I associate with that minimalist style, but it was a decent step in that direction.
The main takeaway for me was just how much discipline it takes to keep things simple. It’s not about lack of design, but very deliberate design. Every element that remains has to justify its existence. It was a good reminder.
So yeah, that was my little practice session. Just messing around, trying to learn by doing, inspired by the clean approach I’d seen associated with Patrick Haney. Definitely something I’ll keep exploring.
