diff --git a/cspell.json b/cspell.json index 5701c93..e8bdeb2 100644 --- a/cspell.json +++ b/cspell.json @@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ "runescape", "shalvah", "schoolai", + "skeuomorphism", "tomo", "turborepo", "turso", diff --git a/posts/the-end-of-flat-design.mdx b/posts/the-end-of-flat-design.mdx new file mode 100644 index 0000000..959ee17 --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/the-end-of-flat-design.mdx @@ -0,0 +1,67 @@ +--- +title: The (hopeful) End Of Flat Design +description: Dia is a new browser from Browser Company that promises to be an AI-powered browser. But is it really? +thumbnail: /blog-thumbnails/the-end-of-flat-design.jpg +status: 'draft' +publishedAt: 2025-07-06 +lastModified: 2025-07-06 +brief: Dia is a new browser from Browser Company that promises to be an AI-powered browser. But is it really? +tags: + - FlatDesign + - UI + - UX + - FlatIcons +--- + +## Hot Take 🌶️ + +It's time for colorless icons with abstract shapes to go the way of the dinosaurs. +Turn your attention to exhibit a; **_my dock_** 😱. + +![my-dock](/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/my-dock.webp) + +I use each of these applications every day. I sing their praises. I'm practically a pest control salesman for each of them. So why is it every single time I look at my dock I feel like I'm being bit a mosquito? + +Because these icons lack context & character. +I have to remind myself every single day which is which. +Do they look clean and tidy? Sure. Modern? No doubt. But I don't care. +From left to right you are looking at: + +1. Zen browser _(which I gushed about in my [last post](/posts/lets-talk-about-dia))_ +2. Linear _(fantastic project management tool. So long Jira 👋🏻)_ +3. Cursor _(if you don't know about cursor I'm sure this blog post isn't for you)_ + +And I don't mean to pick on these apps alone. +The web right now is in a pit of minimalism that we're beginning to crawl out of. + +Claude and ChatGPT share the same illness. + +![ai chat icons](/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/ai-chat-icons.webp) + +Exhibit C. Don't get me started on Slack. The once great hashtag became 4 ducks pecking each other on the... tail. Once you see it you can't un-see it. If you were blissfully unaware about the slack ducks, I'm sorry about that... + +![slack icon redesign](/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/slack-icon-redesign.webp) + +## FANG Started It + +In many ways Google & Apple willed this design system into being in the late 2010s as UI minimalism & flat design trends took off. See now exhibit c; the google suite redesign. + +TODO + +## What Was Old Is New + +I might just be nostalgic for the skeuomorphism design that was popular during my formative years. +And on that note, I'm pleasantly surprised by some of the icon designs coming in iOS 25. +Seriously, look at how fun and creative the new camera icon is compared to the old icon. + +![iphone camera redesign](/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/iphone-camera-icon-redesign.webp) + +Full disclosure. I don't know how I feel about liquid glass yet. +But it appears that time is a circle, and what was old and outdated is trendy again. +Liquid glass ushers in design choices from Windows Vista. +But reception has been mixed due to text legibility. +Overall though, the I'm here for quick death of flat design. +If you're a designer reading this, help me out. Hop on board. Talk with your teams. + +
+Let's quickly see through the door excitement for fun bespoke branding that is immediately understandable. diff --git a/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/ai-chat-icons.jpg b/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/ai-chat-icons.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c6085c8 Binary files /dev/null and b/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/ai-chat-icons.jpg differ diff --git a/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/ai-chat-icons.webp b/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/ai-chat-icons.webp new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8add930 Binary files /dev/null and b/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/ai-chat-icons.webp differ diff --git a/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/iphone-camera-icon-redesign.webp b/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/iphone-camera-icon-redesign.webp new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c1dc4f6 Binary files /dev/null and b/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/iphone-camera-icon-redesign.webp differ diff --git a/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/my-dock.webp b/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/my-dock.webp new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1a66574 Binary files /dev/null and b/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/my-dock.webp differ diff --git a/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/slack-icon-redesign.webp b/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/slack-icon-redesign.webp new file mode 100644 index 0000000..89a3295 Binary files /dev/null and b/public/blog-images/the-end-of-flat-design/slack-icon-redesign.webp differ