When it comes to design we all know that flat is a design thinking that will stay for some good years.

In terms of design, we’re seeing a bigger concern in keeping only what matters. With an aesthetically clean and simple to use design, we can highlight the displayed information and make it easier to access and navigate, regardless the device used.

Indeed, it’s good to see some of Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe “less is more” teachings put into practice. Of course, many will strongly oppose these ideals but, when we analyze the market, we notice that most brands and companies (in apps, websites, packaging, advertising…) are trying to reach us through a wrong approach, almost shouting at us with as much information as they can. And that’s why Flat Design 2.0 is calling our attention! It puts some so-called truths aside and give us space to breathe.

But we shouldn’t forget that every project has its own specifics. Minimal and flat are not always the best answer, such as in mobile apps for older users, who are more familiar with texturized patterns and descriptive icons, since they aren’t so used to these new tools. With that in mind we have to approach each project as unique, analyzing and studying the target behind every specific project.

Let’s see some of the pros and cons of using Flat Design 2.0

PROS

• It embraces the multi screen sizes, making it extremely adaptable in responsive websites;
• Removes all unnecessary elements so users can focus their attention to the important stuff: content;
• Removes unnecessary elements that can slow down the loading of information, creating faster websites and also helping users in terms of mobile internet traffic usage;
• It’s easy to work on transitions and animations.

CONS

• If not smartly and carefully used, flat design can end up being generic and not creating the wow factor as it should;
• It can limit designers by creating only simple schemes of color, shapes or iconography, not thinking outside the box when they need.

 

As some may know, a part of Flat 2.0 was studied by Google Material Design. This study has numerous and interesting features and one of the most interesting is z-axis.

“The z-axis is perpendicularly aligned to the plane of the display, with the positive z-axis extending towards the viewer. Every sheet of material occupies a single position along the z-axis and has a standard 1dp thickness, equivalent to one pixel of thickness on screens with a pixel density of 160.

On the web, the z-axis is used for layering and not for perspective. The 3D world is emulated by manipulating the y-axis.” — Google

Let’s imagine a sheet of paper that can expand, reshape, split or even fuse with another sheet of paper as we want. As paper in real life we can stack one on top of the other. With the z-axis when you levitate one of the sheets a shadow appears, creating a simple but helpful skeuomorphism giving an impression of dimensional planes.

Conclusion

Good design has the need to improve year after year to enhance the users experience and that’s why flat design evolution led us to Flat 2.0. It maintains the same clean and minimal approach but creates a better user-friendly experience. Basically flat websites are great to navigate through all devices, they load faster, so you wait less on loading screens, and the contents are well organized. We don’t need to use flat or minimal design everywhere, but it’s important to understand the thinking behind this design approach that can help us achieve better and higher standards when properly used.

Thank you for reading

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Monday is a full service digital and interactive agency based in Lisbon. Weʼre a team of designers, builders & thinkers who craft digital experiences. Clients include: Snickers, Red Bull, Twix, Philips, M&M’s

Michael Nunes

Chief Creative Officer  @ Monday 

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