A pure black and white theme designed for artists, photographers, and creatives who believe in the power of restraint. No colors. No shadows. No rounded corners. Just content, typography, and space.
Theme Overview
The Minimalist theme strips away everything unnecessary. There are no gradients, no shadows, no border-radius, and no decorative colors. Every element is reduced to its essential form: black on white, white on black, with generous spacing that lets your content breathe.
This is a theme for people who understand that less is more. The gallery-like aesthetic puts your work front and center, using a narrower 1200px container that frames content the way a gallery frames art.
- Border Radius: 0px everywhere
- Shadows: None
- Color Palette: Pure grayscale
- Animations: None
- Line Height: 1.7
- Container Width: 1200px
Design Philosophy
Every pixel has a purpose. If an element does not serve the content, it does not exist. The Minimalist theme applies this principle universally: from the flat, shadowless cards to the square-cornered buttons, from the monochrome palette to the absence of decorative animations.
Installation
Install and activate the Minimalist theme in a few simple steps. No technical knowledge required.
-
Upload the Theme
Go to your admin panel at
/admin/themes. Click the upload button and select the Minimalist theme package file. The system will extract and install it automatically. -
Activate the Theme
After uploading, find "Minimalist" in the themes list and click "Activate." Your site will immediately switch to the new look. Your content remains unchanged.
-
Publish Theme Assets
If assets are not loading, ask your administrator to run the command
php artisan theme:publish minimalistfrom the server terminal. This publishes CSS, JavaScript, and image files to the public directory. -
Configure Your Menus
Visit
/admin/menusto set up your header and footer navigation. The Minimalist theme uses a clean horizontal header menu and a 3-column footer layout. Keep menu items concise for the best visual result. -
Review Your Content
Browse your site to see how existing pages, portfolio items, and other content appear in the new theme. The minimalist aesthetic works best with high-quality images and concise text.
Purchase Code (License Key)
The Minimalist theme is licensed separately from the main application and from every other theme or add-on, so it has its own purchase code (license key). You are asked for it the first time you activate the theme in Admin panel → Themes.
Our products are sold on three platforms, and the way you receive a purchase code depends on where you bought the product.
| Platform / Marketplace | How you get the purchase code | Where to find it again |
|---|---|---|
| bedigit.com Store In-site purchase (Shop) |
Generated automatically when the order is paid, then sent by email, either in its own license email, or inside the order confirmation email. | My Account → My Licenses on bedigit.com |
| Gumroad | Created as soon as Gumroad notifies us of the sale, then sent in a separate email, in addition to the Gumroad receipt. | The license email, your Gumroad Library, and My Account → My Licenses on bedigit.com |
| Envato Market CodeCanyon |
Issued by Envato, not by us, and never sent by email: you download it yourself from your Envato account. | Envato account → Downloads → License certificate & purchase code |
Check your spam folder.
For bedigit.com Store and Gumroad purchases the purchase code is delivered by email, and automated license emails are very often filtered. If the message is not in your inbox, look in your spam / junk folder before contacting support, and add our sender address to your contacts or allow list.
1. bedigit.com Store (in-site purchase)
As soon as your order is marked Paid, a license key is generated automatically for every licensed item in the order (one key per purchased unit) and emailed to the address used on the order, either in a dedicated license email or inside the order confirmation email. The key also stays available under My Account → My Licenses, where you can reveal it, copy it, see the domains it is activated on, and deactivate a domain to free an activation slot. The matching invoice is under My Account → My Orders.
2. Gumroad
A Gumroad purchase produces two separate emails: the Gumroad receipt (sent by Gumroad, giving access to the files) and a license key email (sent by bedigit.com) that contains your purchase code. The second one is generated as soon as Gumroad notifies us of the sale, so it normally arrives within seconds of the payment. When the product uses Gumroad’s own license-key feature, the same key is also shown in the Gumroad receipt and under Library → your purchase on gumroad.com. Use the same email address on bedigit.com as on Gumroad and your keys are linked to your account automatically, under My Account → My Licenses; you can also add a Gumroad key manually from My Account → My Gumroad Licenses.
3. Envato Market (CodeCanyon)
Envato issues and delivers the purchase code itself: we never email it, so there is nothing to look for in your spam folder. Log in to your Envato / CodeCanyon account, open Downloads, find the item, and choose License certificate & purchase code from the Download dropdown; the code is written in that certificate. It looks like 12345678-90ab-cdef-1234-567890abcdef and never changes, even when you renew item support. See the official article: Where Is My Purchase Code?
Lost your purchase code?
Search your mailbox (spam folder included) for “license” or “purchase code”, then check My Account → My Licenses on bedigit.com for Store and Gumroad purchases, or Downloads → License certificate on Envato. If it is still missing, open a ticket on our Help Center with your order number (Store), Gumroad sale ID or buyer email (Gumroad), or Envato username and item name (Envato).
Customization
While the Minimalist theme is intentionally restrained, you can still tailor it to your needs through the admin panel.
Fonts
The theme uses Sora for headings (geometric, modern) and Karla for body text (clean, readable). The logo uses Space Grotesk. These are loaded from Google Fonts for fast delivery.
Grayscale Palette
All colors are grayscale, from pure black (#000000) through mid-grays to white (#FFFFFF). The theme settings allow you to adjust the primary black and background tones if needed.
Container & Spacing
The 1200px container is narrower than most themes, creating a gallery-like frame. Generous vertical spacing between sections gives the content room to breathe.
Black on White, White on Black
Toggle dark mode support from theme settings. In dark mode, the palette inverts: white text on black backgrounds, while maintaining the same flat, shadowless aesthetic.
Keep It Minimal
Resist the urge to add color. The power of this theme comes from its restraint. High-contrast black and white creates visual impact without decoration. Let your images and words be the color.
Header & Footer
Header
The header is intentionally reduced. A clean horizontal bar with your site name on the left and navigation on the right. No background color, no shadow: just a single bottom border line separating the header from content. The "Minimal" header style uses a compact layout with tight spacing and uppercase navigation links.
- Logo Position: Left-aligned
- Navigation: Right-aligned, inline
- Separator: 1px bottom border
- Mobile: Hamburger menu, off-canvas
Footer
The footer uses a 3-column layout (compared to 4 columns in other themes) for a less cluttered appearance. Each column holds a menu group that you configure in the admin panel. The footer bottom row shows copyright information and optional social links.
- Columns: 3
- Separator: 1px top border
- Background: Transparent (matches page)
- Social Links: Optional, text-only
Dark Mode
Dark mode is the natural complement to the Minimalist theme. Where the default is black text on white, dark mode simply inverts: white text on black. The same flat design principles apply: no shadows, no gradients, just a clean color inversion.
How to Enable
Dark mode can be toggled from the theme settings in the admin panel. It respects Bootstrap's data-bs-theme="dark" attribute system.
System Preference
When set to "auto," the theme detects the visitor's operating system preference via prefers-color-scheme and matches it automatically.
Same Aesthetic
Both modes are equally minimal. Borders invert from light-gray-on-white to dark-gray-on-black. Images and media remain unchanged.
Page Templates
The Minimalist theme includes templates for every core page type and all supported add-ons. Each template follows the same flat, monochrome design language.
| Template | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Page | Core | Standard content pages with clean typography and generous margins |
| Sectioned | Core | Multi-section pages built from the 42 available section types |
| Contact | Core | Contact form with flat input fields and square submit button |
| Portfolio | Core | Grid-based portfolio showcase with minimal hover states |
| Account | Core | User account management with clean form styling |
| Blog | Add-on | Blog listing and single post views with editorial spacing |
| Shop | Add-on | Product catalog, cart, and checkout with flat design |
| FAQ | Add-on | Expandable question-answer pairs with minimal toggle indicators |
| Team | Add-on | Team member grid with square photos and clean bios |
| Partners | Add-on | Partner/client logo showcase in grayscale |
| Pricing | Add-on | Pricing tables with flat, bordered cards and no shadows |
| Booking | Add-on | Appointment and booking interface with clean calendar UI |
| Careers | Add-on | Job listings with simple bordered cards |
| Events | Add-on | Event listings and detail pages with date-focused design |
| Forum | Add-on | Discussion forum with clean thread layout |
| Glossary | Add-on | Alphabetical glossary with bordered definition entries |
| HelpDesk | Add-on | Knowledge base with clean category and article views |
| Classified | Add-on | Classified ad listings with grid/list toggle |
| Licenses | Add-on | License management interface |
| Envato | Add-on | Envato product showcase integration |
| Quote Request | Add-on | Multi-step quote request form with flat progress indicator |
42 Sections
Build custom pages by combining sections. Each section is designed with the same flat, monochrome aesthetic. Drag and drop them in the admin page builder to create unique layouts.
- Hero Banner
- Hero Minimal
- Hero Split
- About
- About Extended
- Features Grid
- Features List
- Services
- Services Detailed
- Portfolio Grid
- Portfolio Masonry
- Portfolio Slider
- Team
- Team Compact
- Testimonials
- Testimonials Slider
- Pricing
- Pricing Toggle
- FAQ
- FAQ Grouped
- Blog Posts
- Blog Featured
- Contact
- Contact Split
- Newsletter
- CTA Banner
- CTA Minimal
- Stats Counter
- Stats Inline
- Partners Logo
- Partners Carousel
- Timeline
- Process Steps
- Gallery Grid
- Gallery Lightbox
- Video
- Map
- Content Block
- Content Two Column
- Divider
- Spacer
- Custom HTML
Gallery Aesthetic
The Minimalist theme is designed around the concept of a gallery space. Your website becomes the white walls of a gallery, and your content (images, text, projects) becomes the work on display.
What Makes It Gallery-Like
- Narrow container: 1200px vs. typical 1400px
- Generous whitespace: Content breathes
- No decoration: Nothing competes with content
- Square frames: Zero border-radius on images
- Flat presentation: No shadows lifting elements
Best Practices
Use high-quality, high-contrast images. Black and white photography pairs naturally with the theme, but color images also work well: they become the focal point against the monochrome surroundings.
Keep text concise. The generous line height (1.7) and spacious layout make every word count. Short, impactful copy works better than lengthy paragraphs.
Add-on Support
The Minimalist theme includes templates for all Larapen add-ons. Each add-on's pages are styled to match the flat, monochrome aesthetic seamlessly.
- Blog
- Shop
- FAQ
- Team
- Partners
- Pricing
- Portfolio
- Booking
- Careers
- Events
- Forum
- Glossary
- HelpDesk
- Classified
- Licenses
- Envato
- Newsletter
- Quote Request
- Account
- Contact
Automatic Styling
When you activate an add-on, the Minimalist theme automatically picks up the corresponding templates. No additional configuration needed. If you later install a new add-on that the theme does not yet have templates for, it falls back to the add-on's default views, which still inherit the theme's master layout and base styles.
Updating
How to update this theme to a newer version.
Admin Panel Upload (Recommended)
- Download the latest
.zipfile of this theme. - Go to Admin panel → Themes and click the Upload button.
- Select or drag the
.zipfile into the upload area. - A confirmation prompt will show the current and new version numbers. Click Replace to proceed.
- Go to Admin panel → System Update (
/admin/update) to apply any pending database migrations.
Tip: Your theme settings (colors, fonts, custom CSS) are stored in the database and will not be lost when you replace the theme files.
Uninstallation
How to stop using this theme without losing anything.
Themes are not switched on and off one by one: exactly one theme is active at a time, so you stop using Minimalist by activating another one. Go to Admin panel → Themes and click Activate on the theme you want instead.
- Minimalist stays installed: its files remain under
extensions/themes/minimalist/and its card stays in the list. - Its settings (colors, fonts, layout, header and footer options, custom CSS) stay stored in the database, and so does the per-section styling you gave it on the home page.
- The purchase code recorded at activation is kept, so activating the theme again does not ask for it.
Activate it again whenever you like: the front-end comes back exactly as you left it.
Removing
How to delete this theme permanently, and what goes with it.
Removing deletes the theme for good. The active theme cannot be removed, so removal is always two steps:
- Activate a different theme (see Uninstallation).
- Click Remove on the Minimalist card and confirm the prompt.
That deletes:
- the theme directory
extensions/themes/minimalist/; - its published assets under
public/themes/minimalist/; - its uploaded files under
storage/app/public/themes/minimalist/; - its Vite build artifacts: the hashed files under
public/build/and their manifest entries; - its row in the
themestable, which is where its settings live, so the colors, fonts, layout options and custom CSS you configured for it are lost.
This cannot be undone. Export or note down any custom CSS you want to keep before removing the theme: installing it again later starts from the theme's default settings.
Per-section home page styling is stored under the theme's name rather than against the theme row, so it survives the removal: install Minimalist again and your section styling is still there, while the theme's own settings start from their defaults.
The removal is refused, before anything is deleted, when the theme is still active or when the web server (PHP) user cannot delete extensions/themes/minimalist/. In that last case, give that user write permission on the directory and on its parent, then try again.
Deleting the folder over FTP or SSH is not equivalent: the published assets, the build artifacts and the themes row are all left behind. Use Remove in the admin panel instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add colors to the Minimalist theme?
Technically yes: you can modify the CSS variables in the theme settings. However, the theme is designed around a pure grayscale palette. Adding colors may conflict with the overall aesthetic. If you need color, consider one of the other Larapen themes instead.
Will my existing content work with this theme?
Yes. The Minimalist theme works with all existing Larapen content: pages, portfolio items, blog posts, products, and more. Simply activate the theme and your content will be displayed in the new style. No content migration needed.
Does this theme support RTL languages?
Yes. The Minimalist theme supports right-to-left languages through Bootstrap's built-in RTL support. When a visitor views the site in an RTL language, the layout mirrors automatically.
Why are there no animations?
The absence of animations is intentional. The Minimalist theme prioritizes instant content delivery over decorative motion. This also improves performance and accessibility, particularly for users who prefer reduced motion.
Can I use this theme for a photography portfolio?
Absolutely. The gallery aesthetic was designed with photographers in mind. The lack of decoration, flat image presentation, and generous whitespace let your photographs take center stage. Both the Portfolio Grid and Portfolio Masonry sections work beautifully for photo galleries.
How do I switch between light and dark mode?
Go to your admin panel, navigate to Appearance > Theme Settings, and set the dark mode option. You can choose "Light" (default), "Dark," or "Auto" (follows the visitor's system preference).
Why is the container narrower than other themes?
The 1200px container (vs. 1400px in most themes) creates a gallery-like framing effect. Content feels more intentional and curated when it is not stretched across the full width of wide screens. This is a core part of the minimalist gallery aesthetic.
Is this theme mobile-friendly?
Yes. The Minimalist theme is fully responsive with a mobile-first approach. On smaller screens, the layout adapts with a hamburger navigation menu and single-column content flow. The minimalist design actually works exceptionally well on mobile: less clutter means a better small-screen experience.