

Ask HN: What started the flat design trend? - frigg


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brudgers
Windows Phone 7, aka "Metro" aka "Windows Design Language".

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_%28design_language%29](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_%28design_language%29)

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return0
Whatever started it was not a smart idea. Humans have the ability to perceive
depth from gradients and shadows very fast, it's dumb not to use it.

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veddox
Why does that make a flat design a bad idea?

IMO, flat design, when skilfully used, can look really good. Of course there
is quite a bit of bad flat design out there, just as there is of any other
design style.

And don't worry, trends cycle with time, so it stands to reason we'll be
seeing some more depth on our screens again some time in the not-too-distant
future. (Depth of design, that is, not necessarily depth of content ;-) )

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veddox
I got the impression that Google was using pretty flat designs before the
Windows phone came out - think about the GMail UI, etc.

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LarryMade2
To me it seems like it really got rolling with Apple - Steve Jobs decision to
stop doing the more richly detailed skeuomorphic designs. Which prompted flat
redesigns in iOS 7 and OSX, and I think many developers followed suit to
either look like today's Apple or not to be the nail to be hammered down in
the iOS community. Also attributed is Microsoft Zune and Metro design work.

Historically flat design is a form of minimalist design articles point to it
being rooted in Soviet design styles.

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codemonkeymike
Cheaper in terms of developer hours generally. No source, just my own opinion.

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dylanjermiah
How do you define flat?

