Black background. One accent color. That's basically the entire brief I gave myself for this site, and honestly it's the hardest kind of design to actually pull off. A black canvas is ruthless. There's nowhere for a weak idea to hide. Every element has to earn its spot or it's gone.
People think minimalism means empty. It doesn't. It means every single thing left on the page is there for a reason, and you can feel it when someone gets that right versus when they just deleted stuff until it looked clean.
Motion has to mean something
This is my hill and I'll die on it. A transition should tell you something. Where you came from, where you're headed, what matters now. Motion just for the vibes? That's noise wearing a nice outfit. Looks cool for about two seconds, gets old by the tenth time you sit through it.
The real trick with minimalism is that it's not about stripping things down until it's boring. It's about pulling out everything that isn't pulling weight, so the stuff that stays actually lands. Less clutter, more punch. And when you nail it, the whole thing feels effortless, which is honestly hilarious because it's the exact opposite of effortless to make.
Good minimalism looks like you didn't even try. That's the trap. It takes a hundred little decisions to look like zero.