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1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions cspell.json
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Expand Up @@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
"runescape",
"shalvah",
"schoolai",
"skeuomorphism",
"tomo",
"turborepo",
"turso",
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67 changes: 67 additions & 0 deletions posts/the-end-of-flat-design.mdx
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---
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.

<br />
Let's quickly see through the door excitement for fun bespoke branding that is immediately understandable.
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issue: remove the .jpeg here.

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