Flat design: what's next
February 26, 2020
What’s next after flat design?
If you don’t recognize the term flat design, you’re almost certainly familiar with it in all but name. It denotes the simplistic, classical design
that has become all but ubiquitous in modern UI design - a bright, clean aesthetic that favours a minimalistic style by flattening icons and imbuing them with bold, solid colours. The design is intended to cut out clutter and distraction while allowing users to perceive and comprehend icons more quickly. Windows 8 tiles were one of the first prominent examples of this, and the style was quickly popularized
by Apple and Google.
Hero images
are also becoming increasingly popular in website design. These are full screen, high quality photos, usually with large text superimposed over the image. While retaining a clean, simplistic style the website can communicate something extra about the brand’s identity. This kind of website means that information isn’t top loaded - instead users scroll down for more information, often accompanied by more glossy imagery. As mobile users are accustomed to ‘the long scroll’, this feels like an experience rather than a slog.
Another suggestion of the future of UI proposes that the next step is not the refinement of UI experience but instead the continuous reduction of UI. With products becoming more intuitive they can contextually appropriate choices for the consumer, deciding for you what’s relevant and presenting it in a condensed form (think wearable watches). By pursuing ‘calm technology’, or the reduction of intrusions by user interface, perhaps the future of UI is the device itself making much of the choices for you without your intervention.
Flat design, evidently, isn’t going away anytime soon given its popularity. However, it looks likely to evolve, incorporating remnants of old UI styles. Plus, with new and dynamic ways to interact with our technology, it will be interesting to see how flat design will adapt.
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