How Flat Design Is Changing the Internet
As you may know, Drupal is an open-source web design platform for the creation of online content. It is widely used by some of the largest brands in the world. It is noted for its wide adaptability to different kinds of visual design. Adaptability is important because visual design trends change regularly. Like all the best Drupal companies in 2014, we have had to adapt to the popularity of “Flat Design.”
What is Flat Design?
If you’re familiar with Windows 8 or own a smartphone, then you’ll be aware of the marked difference in visual styles which are emerging from the world of mobile and touchscreen. You’ll have noticed a shift away from clutter to a more minimalistic pop-art look. What you are noticing is a trend called Flat Design. You may not have heard of the term but it is currently changing the way we use the Internet.
Breaking from the Past
Flat Design is a break with the past in so far as it rejects the idea of imitating or aping analogue surfaces and textures. It eschews visual details like gradients, shadows, beveled edges or reflections (in short, anything designed to create the illusion of depth) and prioritizes functionality and visual clarity. Like many movements in design and architecture, you can sense a certain philosophy at work behind it. You can sense a whole collection of ideas about how the world should work. The best Drupal companies in 2014 must understand this philosophy and be able to assess how best to apply it to individual businesses.
Total Immersion
Everything superfluous has been stripped away. What’s left is a landscape of white spaces, large high-definition images, parallax scrolling, big navigation panels and a dynamic use of font. One of the most striking implications of Flat Design is that we are no longer living in a society where the Internet requires a learning curve. Trends like Flat Design seem to assume we are already immersed in digital technology. We no longer need reference points from the analogue world to find our way about on a Desktop or a browser. We no longer need links that look like folders or skeuomorphic backgrounds that make websites look like bookshelves. Skeuomophism, it should be noted, is a style which tries to create the illusion of depth and reality. Most of the website designs we have been using for years can be described in this way.
Running with the Pack
Nobody knows how this trend will work itself out in the long-term. Most movements in architecture and design (particularly the more outspoken ones) are eventually challenged. The best Drupal companies in 2014 will be able to offer their clients the most contemporary designs and solutions. By keeping up-to-date with the latest advances, we hope to keep your business at the front of the pack, this year, next year, and continuously into the future.