Bold color is back
In the pursuit of simplicity, some recent designs stripped away most color. Take Apple’s iOS 7 & 8 interface, which is based on simplicity and relies heavily on white backgrounds and black text, which can seem tired or boring compared to Android’s interface, which is much more colorful. Vibrant colors can serve a purpose by indicating brand and grabbing people’s attention, not to mention making the user experience more enjoyable. Google’s new Material Design (link) interface is a great example of bold color done well. It’s lively, fun, and helps differentiate different locations in the operating system.
The third dimension returns
Flat design is evolving – upwards. There’s a huge potential to use the third dimension in designs, pushing elements up and down in altitude to create an orderly hierarchy of content. Shadows are the principle tool for 3D design, but these are not the cheesy drop shadows of yesteryear. They’re sharp, minimal, and rely on light sources behind the viewer, not off to the side somewhere.
Type drives design
Type can be a star of any design. Big, bold letterforms can enliven any space, and substitute for images. As the length of text in websites and presentations decreases, its importance grows, and so do the options for its visual presentation. Combining an interesting typeface with a bold color scheme catches the eye and stands out in a visually saturated world.
Stock photography looks less stocky
Stock photography as we’ve known it is on its way out. A generic photo of a smiling group of uniformly professional people won’t do. Instead, photos need to capture the diversity and individuality of the people you’re representing. Using real photos taken by a professional photographer is ideal, but a new crop of stock photo website has also emerged that allows you to source more authentic imagery.
What other design trends do you predict for 2015? Let us know at @ConceptDrop on Twitter.
