Terms You Need to Know:
Flat design- simple shapes, colors, and typography to
emphasize clarity and usability.
Skeumorphism- visual trickery, or
the use of details and ornamentation to make one thing look like another. Skeuomorphism in UI design usually
refers to a digital element designed to look like something from the physical
world.
Consider:
Rumored for September 10, 2013, Apple will release iOS 7 to
the public. As a result, there is
an increasing discussion on flat design versus skeumorphism. Flat designs are more noticeably used
in user interface (UI) designs. I noticed
the trend in print advertisements. Flat design is seen in an advertisement for Sephora's Living Proof hair serum (Glamour, September 2013). Also, I saw
the use of flat design in the print advertisement for the Thought Leaders panel
discussion (Entrepreneur, September 2013).
 |
| Sephora advertisement |
 |
| Thought Leaders advertisement |
Flat design offers crisp and clean design.
Nevertheless, it may not always produce the maximum effect intended for
the targeted audiences. I feel
that the use of visual trickery, or the use of details and ornamentation to
make one thing look like another (skeumorphism) not only helps to present
details and beautify the craft but it offers designers the ability to bring new
concepts into reality. Mazda uses this method for a print advertisement (Entrepreneur, September 2013). What do you think about flat design versus skeumorphism?
 |
| Mazda advertisement |
References:
Campbell-Dollaghan, Kelsey. What is Flat Design? http://gizmodo.com/what-is-flat-design-508963228
May 24, 2013.
Smith, Grace. 36 High-Quality Flat Design Resources http://mashable.com/2013/07/29/flat-design-ui-kits/ July
29, 2013
