Designing Minimalist Websites: A Case Study on Aetherial View

Designing Minimalist Websites: A Case Study on Aetherial ViewDesigning Minimalist Websites: A Case Study on Aetherial View

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Ruslan Subbota

• May 5

I almost ruined this one.

Just finished a concept site for a nature photography studio — Aetherial View. First draft had everything I usually reach for. Clever scroll animations. A secondary nav. Hover micro-interactions. A bit of texture behind the hero.

Looked great in Figma. Felt awful next to the actual photographs.

A heron at golden hour doesn't need help from a parallax effect. It just needs to not be interrupted.

So I started removing things. The animations. The second nav. The texture. Half the type styles. Until the site basically got out of the way.

What's left: three nav items. An asymmetric grid that gives each shot room. Serif only where it earns attention — pull quotes, section heads. Black background as a gallery wall.

The hardest part wasn't designing it. It was trusting that less would feel like enough.

For a portfolio site, that's usually the whole brief — even when nobody says it out loud.

Completed work

UI Design Web Design Webflow Development Figma Webflow

Madob Acharjya

• May 6

Stunning!

Abox Agency

pro

• May 8

This looks clean and well thought out. How long did it take you to bring everything together?

Ruslan Subbota

• May 8

Thanks! It takes around 2 weeks to finalize

Abox Agency

pro

• May 9

Amazing!

Vyudu Inc

pro

• May 9

The Aetherial View work is doing the hard thing well. Stripping back to three nav items and an asymmetric grid takes more conviction than adding scroll animations ever does. The serif on pull quotes earning attention only when it has earned it is the move that lands.

R. Qule

max

• Sep 14

Need design without hiring a team? FANCY works as your design team on subscription.

Mobile Design UI Design UX Design Figma

Daniel G Bright

max

• Sep 14

A look at the identity we designed for Vetti, a dog health monitoring brand.

There’s a lot of data behind a product like this but the person using it just wants to know their dog is okay.

That’s the balance in the design with a connected dot system that feels precise and warm colors and photography that keep it close to what people care about.

Also, an excellent excuse to spend far too long choosing dog photos.

Brand Design Logo Design Figma

Sahil S

• Sep 14

Really nice balance between data-driven technology and the emotional side of pet care. The connected dot system is a great way to make something technical feel approachable, and the warm photography really brings the brand closer to the pet owners.💯