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Will we look back and cringe?
- Thread starter CChevW
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With ANY design language, people will look back and cringe. That's just the nature of how design trends evolve over time. And things tend to be cyclical as well.
Look at how architecture is viewed over time. In San Francisco, Victorian architecture during the 1950s and 60s was viewed as gaudy and ugly. Many home owners wound up replacing the Victorian detail with asbestos siding! And during the 80s, Modernism was viewed as overly stark and ugly. Especially mid-century Modernist buildings got leveled everywhere. But, now things have gone full cycle again and Modernism is back in vogue.
With graphic design, remember when Photoshop first came out with all of the texturing filters? Soon afterwards, print layouts were festooned with background patterns and shadow effects. It got to a point where many printed publications became unreadable because the titles had so many 3D effects applied, and typefaces went into overload. it was the logical outcome of a trend going to its logical extreme.
OS X, with its candy-like colors and textures, pinstripes, and metallic brush effects were an outgrowth of that design trend. Steve Jobs even described OS X as "lickable" and meant that as a positive.
By the time iOS came out, designers were already pushing back against excessive texturing and 3D effects, and the return to flat graphics had already begun. Subsequent versions of OS X saw Apple scaling back to a more minimalist scheme. iOS and OS X are following the broader design trend back to more basic layouts and references, i.e., the flatter look that prevailed in graphic design before texturing became all the rage after Photoshop.
In hindsight, any trend will eventually become dated. And when people yearn for something "new" and "different," it often entails bringing back the past.
Look at how architecture is viewed over time. In San Francisco, Victorian architecture during the 1950s and 60s was viewed as gaudy and ugly. Many home owners wound up replacing the Victorian detail with asbestos siding! And during the 80s, Modernism was viewed as overly stark and ugly. Especially mid-century Modernist buildings got leveled everywhere. But, now things have gone full cycle again and Modernism is back in vogue.
With graphic design, remember when Photoshop first came out with all of the texturing filters? Soon afterwards, print layouts were festooned with background patterns and shadow effects. It got to a point where many printed publications became unreadable because the titles had so many 3D effects applied, and typefaces went into overload. it was the logical outcome of a trend going to its logical extreme.
OS X, with its candy-like colors and textures, pinstripes, and metallic brush effects were an outgrowth of that design trend. Steve Jobs even described OS X as "lickable" and meant that as a positive.
By the time iOS came out, designers were already pushing back against excessive texturing and 3D effects, and the return to flat graphics had already begun. Subsequent versions of OS X saw Apple scaling back to a more minimalist scheme. iOS and OS X are following the broader design trend back to more basic layouts and references, i.e., the flatter look that prevailed in graphic design before texturing became all the rage after Photoshop.
In hindsight, any trend will eventually become dated. And when people yearn for something "new" and "different," it often entails bringing back the past.
Sometimes I look now at iOS 8 and cringe.
When I see an image of iOS 6 or a device still using it, I'm instantly reminded of functional the UI used to be. Of how great it used to feel to use. Of how inviting the UI was.
Now it's a flat, bright, unappealing mess. There are parts of the new iOS design that I do like. There's parts I hate. Any menu/list item looks absolute horrible, especially on the iPad. The new Safari layout is great, although the icon/toolbar looks horrible. Notification and Control Centre's both look horrible. The Dock looks horrible. Messages is great as it is now, I wouldn't change a thing about it.
Honestly, I think a merge of the two would be great. Some shadows, less pastel colours and some contrast between UI components would be great start. Even looking at that theme/concept above, the addition of shadows, the removal of the bright childish pastel colours, and some depth really created a warm and inviting interface that looks enjoyable to use. Oh and buttons that are actually buttons would also be great.
Yes, I think we'll look back on the current iOS design and cringe. It's very much a design that's based on current trends set by competitors. Anything that's based on a trend is guaranteed to look ridiculous once that trend is over. Which it will be soon. iOS 6 and earlier was not based on trends. It was one of the first of it's kind. It was based on being intuitive, easy and enjoyable to use.
When I see an image of iOS 6 or a device still using it, I'm instantly reminded of functional the UI used to be. Of how great it used to feel to use. Of how inviting the UI was.
Now it's a flat, bright, unappealing mess. There are parts of the new iOS design that I do like. There's parts I hate. Any menu/list item looks absolute horrible, especially on the iPad. The new Safari layout is great, although the icon/toolbar looks horrible. Notification and Control Centre's both look horrible. The Dock looks horrible. Messages is great as it is now, I wouldn't change a thing about it.
Honestly, I think a merge of the two would be great. Some shadows, less pastel colours and some contrast between UI components would be great start. Even looking at that theme/concept above, the addition of shadows, the removal of the bright childish pastel colours, and some depth really created a warm and inviting interface that looks enjoyable to use. Oh and buttons that are actually buttons would also be great.
Yes, I think we'll look back on the current iOS design and cringe. It's very much a design that's based on current trends set by competitors. Anything that's based on a trend is guaranteed to look ridiculous once that trend is over. Which it will be soon. iOS 6 and earlier was not based on trends. It was one of the first of it's kind. It was based on being intuitive, easy and enjoyable to use.
Unlike technology (which incrementally advances and progresses forward) fashion and art are simply expressions of style and taste: random processes.
“There is no accounting for taste.”
“There is no accounting for taste.”