After more than 13 years of running Minimal Gallery, I've decided to pass it on.
Minimal Gallery didn't start as something meant for other people. It started as a place for myself.
When I first got into design, I saved websites I liked – at some point, my bookmarks became unusable. I didn't just want links, I wanted to see them again. So I started collecting screenshots somewhere more visual.
The simplest tool at the time was Tumblr. So I created a small Tumblr and started uploading websites. No name, no plan, no audience. I was 15 years old at the time.
At some point, people started following. That was unexpected. But it changed how I looked at it. If others were finding value in it, I wanted to do it properly.
That's when Minimal Gallery was born.
Over time
What started as a personal archive slowly grew into something much bigger. People submitted their work. The audience grew. It became a place people came back to regularly.
I've received messages from people who discovered design through Minimal Gallery, decided to study it, got their first job – and then came back years later to submit their own work. I've made real friendships through it. Met people in different countries. Connected with designers all over the world. That was never the plan – but it became the most important part.
From the beginning, I was extremely intentional about curation. Most submissions got rejected. That was sometimes frustrating – but it's also why it worked.
There was a simple rule: never more than one post per day. It didn't matter how many submissions came in — the goal was never volume, only quality.
Another important principle: website submissions were always free. I never wanted to create a system where visibility could be bought. There are many talented people – students, early in their careers – who deserve to be seen without having to pay for it.
Money
For most of its life, over 10 years, Minimal Gallery didn't make any money. And that was intentional. I didn't want ads, or randomness. I didn't want the experience to be shaped by anything other than the work itself.
The way monetization started was actually very simple. I featured a friend's studio on the site to support them – clearly marked, sitting at the top. There was no plan behind it. They later told me it brought them more attention than anything else they had tried.
That's when I realized it could work – in a way that still felt aligned. So I kept it simple: one sponsor at a time, always something I actually liked. That allowed the project to sustain itself – and more importantly, to improve.
I would have not expected this to be able to pay my rent, let alone lead to a meaningful acquisition, until maybe a year ago.
Why I'm stepping away
The last couple of years have actually been the best Minimal Gallery has ever had.
It was growing. It was profitable. The feedback was consistently positive.
And that's exactly why I started thinking about this.
I didn't want to wait until I felt disconnected from it. I didn't want to reach a point where it became something I had to manage rather than something I cared about.
I wanted to pass it on while it still felt right – while I could still look at it and feel proud of what it is. This project deserves attention, care, and someone who wants to take it further. And I'm no longer the right person to do that.
Minimal Gallery is now in new hands. The new owner deeply understands the space and genuinely cares about it, which was the most important thing to me. It will continue – just with new energy behind it.
Thank you
It's hard to describe what it means to see something that started as a personal folder turn into something that impacted people's careers, friendships, and paths.
Minimal Gallery was never meant to become what it did. But it shaped everything that came after.
If you've ever submitted a site, visited regularly, or simply found inspiration here – thank you.
Piet