Web design is trending towards clean, streamlined interfaces, and the challenge is to create a look that does away with unnecessary clutter. Users are no longer satisfied with complicated designs that take an effort to look at or one where it takes time to find something. Instead, they want clean designs that present information in a simple but sleek and beautiful way.
The easiest way to achieve a clean, uncluttered design in WordPress is getting a minimalist theme. But what makes a good minimalist theme?
· It usually means a flat design.
· Minimalist themes are free from widgets and unnecessary add-ons.
· They have fast page load times.
· They focus on the user.
· They look great on all devices.
Most of the themes on this list are premium themes, but there are free options as well. Even the premium options are all affordable, and they come with various design features and options for functionality. For example, some are officially compatible with WooCommerce, while others are single page themes—single page websites favored by many users for the ease of use that they provide, especially for those who predominantly use mobile devices.
You will find something in this list that will suit the type of website you are building and the type of organization that you are building it for. Here are 10 of the best minimalist WordPress themes, offering a number of choices to suit the type of website you are building and the type of organization that you are building it for.
1. Milo
http://madebyminimal.com/milo
This is a clean website design that offers a number of features, such as editable menu sizes, WooCommerce compatibility, and scalable images. The predominantly white, visual look is ideal for corporate brochure websites or portfolio websites.
2. Oshin
http://themeforest.net/item/oshin-creative-multipurpose-wordpress-theme/9545812
There are 16 different demos that come with this theme that demonstrate its versatility. However, the image-heavy design is particularly suited to fashion websites as well as portfolio and corporate sites. Its features include a drag-and-drop page builder and a comprehensive list of options to give you a lot of control over how the theme looks.
3. Elegant
http://themify.me/themes/elegant
Elegant is a good example of minimalist design that focuses on content rather than splashy graphics. It comes with beautifully thought-out typography, layouts, and a drag-and-drop page builder for ease of use.
4. Minimalist
http://briangardner.com/themes/minimalist/
This theme is minimalist by name and by nature. You don’t get sidebars or other attention-seeking features. Instead, you get a sophisticated theme that is effortlessly stylish.
5. Dorsey
http://madebyminimal.com/dorsey
If you're building a portfolio website you'll be hard-pressed to find a minimalist theme that looks as good as Dorsey. It has some nice features, like WooCommerce compatibility and an easy-to-edit copyright notice, but this is a site that focuses more on creating portfolios.
6. MH Elegance
http://www.mhthemes.com/themes/mh/elegance/
MH Elegance is a theme that oozes class, so it is ideal for businesses that deal in high quality goods or services as well as stylish blogs. While it's fundamentally minimalist, it's still eye-catching.
7. Corner
http://www.cssigniter.com/ignite/themes/corner/
How would you like infinite scrolling, custom post types, and unlimited color variations? You get all of this and more with Corner, all packed into a page with a minimalist design.
8. Independent Publisher
http://independentpublisher.me/
The other themes on this list are premium themes, but Independent Publisher is a free option. It's an open source theme so you can change it to suit your requirements, and it looks slick, clean, and professional.
9. Hero
http://themetrust.com/themes/hero/
Hero is a theme that's best suited for websites designed to show off creativity. This means portfolio websites and other similar pages. It also includes a parallax banner on the home page.
10. Zerif Pro
https://themeisle.com/themes/zerif-pro-one-page-wordpress-theme/
Zerif Pro is a single page parallax WordPress theme that delivers your content to users quickly and cleanly. This theme is all about simplicity and performance.