2. WHAT IS FLAT DESIGN?
Flat design is a two-dimensional style in design which lost all stylistic
elements that enhances the image up and make it seem three-dimensional.
DON’T FOCUS
• Gradients
• Drop shadows
• Textures
FOCUS
• Content
• Color
• Typography
3. FEATURES OF FLAT DESIGN:
Minimalist approach Focus on color
Focus on typography Simple elements
5. 1. No Added Effects
• Flat design employs a distinct two-dimensional style that is simply flat.
• The concept works without drop shadows, bevels, embossing, gradients or
other tools that add depth
• It relies on placement of elements to make successful projects easy for users to
understand and interact with.
• Popular for website, app and mobile design.
• With small screens, there are fewer buttons and options, making a flat
interface fairly easy to use.
6. 2. Simple Elements
• Flat design uses many simple UI elements, such as buttons and
icons.
• Simple shapes, such as rectangles, circles or squares and allow each
shape to stand alone.
• Each UI element should be simple and easy to click or tap.
Interaction should be intuitive for users without a lot of in-
design explanation.
7. 3. Focus on Typography
• Because of the simple nature, typography is extremely important.
• Type should also be bold, simple and efficiently, in an effort to have
a consistent tone visually and textually.
• Type should also tell users how to use the design for increased ease
of use and interactivity.
8. 4. Focus on Color
• Color is a major part of flat design.
• Color palettes in flat design often contain many more hues as well.
• While most color palettes focus on two or three colors at most, flat
design palettes may use six to eight colors equally.
9. 5. Minimalist Approach
• Flat design works well with an overall minimalist design approach.
• Avoid too many bells and whistles in the overall site design.
• If you want to add visuals, opt for simple photography.
11. Flat design
originates from the
Swiss style
(aka International
Typographic Style)
which dominated the
design scene back in
the 1950s
It came into
existence in 1920s in
Russia, the
Netherlands and
Germany, and
became really
popular in 1950s in
Switzerland when
the world-famous
Helvetica typeface
was designed (back
in the day, it was
called Neue Haas
Grotesk).
THE ORIGINS: SWISS DESIGN AND
MINIMALISM
13. Now….
• Quick forward to the twenty-first century. Every flat designer knows
that its modern history starts on the day when two opposing
companies – Microsoft and Apple – started their design combat.
Apple replaced
its skeuomorphic design
and went completely flat
in iOS7.
Microsoft created the
Zune media player in
2006.This player’s
display focused on
typography.And the
design got extended to
Windows Phone 7 in 2010
15. 1. Compatibility With Responsive
Design
Flat design’s principles can be applied to other
design categories, but its grid-based layouts and
simple graphics are particularly suited to web and
mobile design since they’re easily abled to resized
or rearranged to display on different devices and
screen sizes.
16. 2. Flexible Framework
Grids are also a flexible framework that can be
shaped into many configurations. This allows
designers to create an arrangement that best
and showcases their content, rather than
squeezing content into a limiting pre-determined
layout.
17. 3. Clean, Readable Typography
• Flat qualities also extend to designers’
approach to typesetting, which often
results in larger, more streamlined
typography.The absence of shadows
and other effects makes text easier to
read.
• Sans-serif typefaces are a popular
choice and a good match for this
style.
19. 1. Compromised Usability
• In an effort to emphasize flat design’s clean, streamlined qualities,
some designers fall into the trap of focusing too much on
aesthetics — to the extent that it negatively impacts a design’s
usability.
• It can be hard to tell what is or is not clickable (since everything is
flat, on the same visual plane). Important features and actions can
be hidden from view, or visual cues that users are accustomed to
might be missing — all in the pursuit of simplicity.
20. 2. Lack of Distinctiveness
• Every business, brand, or individual planning a design project wants
results that represent their unique qualities.
• One of the downsides of flat design is that sticking to a simplistic,
narrowly defined visual style often results in designs that look very
or somewhat similar.
• Designers working in a purely flat style have a limited choice of
principles to apply to their projects.
21. 3. Overly Focused on Trendy
Aesthetics
• Flat design regularly shows up on design trend lists
• But one of the problems with trends is that some designers will apply
them just to follow the crowd, without really thinking about their
usefulness.This can result in purposeless design choices — for
instance, early flat design’s fondness for long shadows.
23. 1. Flat 2.0
• As designers have experimented with flat design over the past several years, many have noticed some of
the pros and cons and decided to adjust the style accordingly.
• While early iterations of flat design were characterized by a strict visual simplicity, recent developments
have seen the subtle reintroduction of qualities like shadow and texture — for both aesthetic and
functional reasons.
• The result of these tweaks resulted in a style often referred to as “Flat 2.0” or “almost-flat” design.
• This style is more of a compromise: you still get the clean simplicity of flat design, but add some subtly
skeuomorphic qualities for visual variety and improved usability.
• Another commonly used hybrid approach is the addition of photography rather than just flat illustrations
or icons.
25. 2. Material Design
• Having many characteristics in common with almost-flat design, material design is a visual
language developed by Google that emphasizes grid-based layouts and features “deliberate
color choices, edge-to-edge imagery, large-scale typography, and intentional white space”
a bold, graphic look.
• The style uses a paper-inspired approach with “visual cues that are grounded in reality” and
“familiar tactile attributes” to help users quickly understand and navigate designs — which
sounds like a nod to skeuomorphism.
• Though material design clearly features elements of flat design, its attention to light and
shadow, motion, and other details demonstrates that flat design can be adapted to be more
useful and flexible.
27. Conclusion:
Thus while big brands like Microsoft, Apple, and Google definitely have
influence when it comes to popularizing design styles, it’s the
designers who take the trends and run with them to create something
new. It’s the designers who set the new trends and make the popular.
But since flat design has been around for several years now and is still going strong, it’s likely more than just a passing trend. So let’s look at its pros and cons and where it might be headed in the future.