

Digital Modernism Done Right - snippyhollow
http://blog.getprismatic.com/blog/2012/4/23/digital-modernism-done-right.html

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hlfcoding
The whole concept of "digital modernism" is a fluke since modernism emerged
from seeking functionality, not aesthetics, while the former is trying to
emulate modernism on GUIs. Print design can appear "modern" and "Swiss" since
its function is to be read. GUIs are different, and require new thinking to
design and style correctly. Just removing the "style" portion and calling it
modern is like adding fins onto the back of a car to make it more "space-age".
Apple already debunked this movement, since the general user obviously prefers
the higher-fidelity GUI -- even if the trend is now growing out of proportion.
For a designer with a trained eye, of course s/he needs less visual cues to
figure out the GUI, so anything remotely physical looks overdone. I would
react the same way when approaching from a modern graphic design standpoint:
Hey, that's not how things should look if I apply the grand unified theory of
modern design that I learned in design school. I'd say no one is closer to
getting "digital modernism" correct than Android, but essentially redefining
what it means for a GUI to even be modern. This idea from the article to
knockoff the Swiss movement is sadly, a joke. I've used Prismatic beta, and
the UI didn't wow me, at all (from either designer or layman standpoint).

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ldayley
These Prismatic posts have been popping up every couple of days. I'm not even
certain if they've even launched yet ("Request an Invite"), but this seems to
be a textbook example of good 'launch' blogging. The consistency and depth of
these posts is actually making me consider using this service.

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bradfordcross
Glad to hear it. Signup and you'll get an invite before long. The
craftsmanship shows even better in the product than in the blog posts. ;-)

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salimmadjd
So far I'm very impressed by these guys and I think they are doing so many
things right. However, their UX is not one of them. This is the case where too
much love of aesthetic is working against functionality. Their main service is
content discovery and their layout is working against that.

