Minimalist Design Systems

I’ve redesigned my portfolio more times than I care to admit. Each iteration added more—more animations, more colors, more sections. And each time, it felt less like me.

The Problem with More

When you have unlimited options, you tend to use them all. Gradients, shadows, animations, color palettes, typography pairings—before you know it, your site looks like a design system showcase rather than a personal space.

Embracing Constraints

This time, I gave myself strict constraints:

1. Grayscale only: No accent colors
2. One typeface: System fonts only
3. Minimal foreground: Just name and links
4. One expressive element: The ASCII background

These constraints forced me to focus on what matters: hierarchy, spacing, and typography.

The Power of Grayscale

Without color to rely on, you have to find other ways to create contrast:

• Opacity: Primary text at 100%, secondary at 60%, muted at 40%
• Weight: Light for display, regular for body
• Spacing: Generous whitespace creates breathing room
• Size: Large display type for impact, small mono for metadata

Living with Less

The result feels calmer. There’s no visual noise competing for attention. The background provides movement and interest, but it’s subtle—something you notice in your peripheral vision rather than something that demands focus.

Sometimes the best design is the one that gets out of the way.