Advantages of Flat Design

At present, in the visual design of the market, the proportion of flat design in the continuous rise, which is hidden in what kind of secret, today come together to explore it.

First of all, to study one thing, I think it should start from its history, because it can be understood, and clearly know where its change is.

First, the beginning and development of flattening

In the hearts of many people in the country, the perception of flattening is from Microsoft's Windows 8 and Windows PHONE interface start, and then Apple's products also began to use such a flat visual design, because Microsoft and Apple products in the market accounted for the higher, Therefore, it also pushes the whole mobile flat design process to a certain extent.

Second, the definition of flattening

On the network of many materials, such as Baidu Encyclopedia, know, the major design site of the article on the flat description, probably can be divided into two directions; one is the flattening of the design style and the other is the flattening of the information level.

1, the design style of flat

Some designers think: flat design is to give up all the decorative effects, such as shadows, perspectives, textures, gradients and so can make 3D effects of the elements are not. The boundaries of all elements are neat, without any feathering, gradients, or shadows. Especially on mobile phones, fewer buttons and options make the interface clean and tidy, especially simple to use. It can be simpler and more straightforward to show the way information and things work, reducing the emergence of cognitive impairment. But there is no adornment is too extreme, now the more popular flat or there are some gradients and shadows, that is what we call the light-materialized, but the light to materialize more or to be classified as flat style.

Does everyone think that flattening and fiction are opposites? Not at all. Flattening is the development of quasi-materialized to a certain extent, as you learn to paint, you must first learn a stroke of the object of each detail is depicted, after repeated practice, you have the structure of the object, shape, action in the heart, you can use the simplest lines to express.

Is Kellas Campbell Cat works, a few strokes, the form of God both, the cat's noble, lazy portrayal of the incisively and vividly. On the stage a minute, the next ten years work, the more such a simple line more can reflect the author's foundation.

I believe that the real can be flat to achieve innovation, excellent designers, in the materialization of the expression is very skilled. The Profound art Foundation, to the ultimate expression of the object, just created today in the flat of the concise atmosphere. Of course, imitate other people's work out of the flat design, must be a lack of personal soul, uniform, which is why the flat is criticized, shouting the reason for the death of the object.

Of course, the object does not die, it is flat on the simple living, but not every designer has the ability to express it.

2, the information level of the flat

But it is not enough--not wrong, not enough--to simply understand the flat design as a visual style choice.

The flattening of the information level represents the user's need to see only the core content area and the most stable and fundamental functions in the first level interface. The rest of the content is closed to the third level of the second level and even deeper. If they are paved, it is the opposite direction of flattening. Do not distinguish between the core level and the other level of this point, the visual style is flat, the content is a big pot of stew, looking distracted to find the operation.

In this way, the style of flattening to do better, the user experience is also bad.

On this point I think QQ5.0 's revision can explain this problem.

Do not know if you remember the QQ4.0 version of the interface, QQ has 4 tab, in addition to the most important "message" and "contact" to keep simple, its "dynamic" and "Settings" page is very jumbled, especially dynamic page of the "Member Center", "Game Center", "Reading Center", "Application Center ”... Really want to be able to shop all the shop in, and every time I open the app will be confused is "Member Center" and "bubble, theme, expression", my subconscious thought this is about "I" Personality settings, should be in the settings, so every time will set tab inside look for. At that time, QQ gave the feeling is bloated, far from lightness. This corresponds to the words: if they are paved, it happens to be flat in the opposite direction. (Can not find QQ4.0 high-quality picture, forgive my incompetence, do it, O (∩_∩) o~~)

From the QQ5.0 version, QQ has made a very big change, the QQ level classified as "my private Space" and "My external world", such as members, wallets, business hall, personality dress Up, collection, album, etc. all received into the drawer bar, like closed my private space. And the most important, the most commonly used in the outer dynamic, and relatively small, personalized such as reading, animation, news, health, these collected into the "more", the page level is very clear.

Although 5.0 began, QQ added interest tribe, the same city service, eat and drink these heavyweight extension services, but the page gives the feeling is no longer bloated, but very light. So it can be concluded that the lightness of user perception is the real flattening, not the content. The lightness of perception can be expressed and optimized by hierarchy.

Third, the future flattening will continue?

1, flattening more adapt to information fragmentation today

A small screen contains such a wealth of information, which is unprecedented, but also brings people to the burden of cognitive increase. Imagine that if the gorgeous pseudo-materialized flooded the interface, the first time you have to face is not to distinguish between the different app icons, but first the background image and quasi-materialized layered, this must be a bad experience.

I have a period of time very obsessed with the function of changing themes on Android phones, a lot of cool, beautiful, unique style theme won my heart, especially highlight the personality. But often I won't be bored for too long. Because every download of a new app I find it hard to figure out where it is, or switch to the system by default the flattened theme is easier to identify.

2, flat in multi-platform, multi-screen size has better adaptability

The most important point is that better adaptability. With multi-platform and fragmented screen size fragmentation, it's tedious and time-consuming to create multiple screen sizes and resolutions, and the design moves toward a more flat design, and you can guarantee that it will look good on all screen sizes at once. The flat design is more simple and clear-structured.

The appearance of watch is more determined the flattening of the continuous trend, we look at a appwatch home screen to know, although so many small icons squeezed together, flattening is relatively easy to identify. If you change to a quasi-materialized, I think it will be a disaster-flash blind eyes.

Summarize

1. The flattening of innovation in not only the style of the flat, also contains the theoretical information level of the flat

2. Flat design is not the direction of the object, but an extension of it

3. Fragmentation of information and multi-platform, multi-screen size leads to flattening will continue to grow

So flattening will still be the trend of future development, not what people temporarily tired of the plot of the new, nor what style change, but only the full and concise interface, can adapt to the future of the terminal fragmentation, interface fragmentation.

But just as the Android phone can be changed theme, Lao Luo Nut Mobile Phone of the intention of many people like the same, everyone likes different, style must be diversified, the object will not die, but it is no longer the mainstream.

Source: China UI

Advantages of Flat Design