Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 17th Dec 2012 22:59 UTC
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Member since:
2005-07-06
I think Flat Design is another design aesthetic, and it's one that is gaining currency on tablets and smartphones (Android's dialog buttons, nowadays, don't have bevelling or gradients, for example), but not that much on the desktop. On a small device you need to maximise space, and minimise the use of the processor for unnecessary things, while on a desktop (or laptop) you have plenty of processor cycles left over and the 3D effects make the desktop look less bare.
The effects were a product of faster processors from the early 90s on, and better graphics cards and monitors; before Windows 3.0 and, I think, Mac OS 8, desktop UI design was flat. But after Windows 3.1, Windows UI design got a bit flatter - the bevelling got more subtle and the text lighter, and even recent versions of Mac OS X have scaled back the Aqua effects a bit. Flat design takes this to its logical conclusion, and it can look elegant but it can also just look bare, or reflect a lack of imagination.