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[Week 11] Evolution of webdesign? - flat vs real (skeuomorphism)

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Nowadays websites are becoming one of the most popular ways of presenting information and sharing it with other people. The number of websites is constantly growing and every author, publisher or developer is looking for something new to catch our attention.
Today I would like to describe two design styles used mostly in Web design and user interface design, first is realism called skeuomorphism, which refers items or objects used in user interface are designed to look as real as possible.  For this purpose we use shadows, highlights and other visual effects, effects which allow us to present objects in 3D even though these objects are placed on a flat surface mostly screens of our computers.

Pros:
- Content is understandable immediately
- We are used to such a way of design

Cons:
- Huge size of images
- Interfaces designed in such a way seem to be outdated

The second style is Flat Design which is focused on the usability of an application and because of that all effects are very clean and simple. There are no shadows or highlights and the whole content is represented in a simple and easy to understand way

Pros:
- Modern
- Clean
- Trendy
- Usable
- Loads faster

Cons:
- Sometimes unclear
- Lacks personality
- We are not used to such a way of design

I would like you to look at this infographic which was prepared by Intacto in 2013 and then answer questions below: http://www.flatvsrealism.com/


Questions:
Which design style do you prefer? Flat design or skeuomorphism? 
Do you know any interesting sites designed in the flat or real style?

Sources:
Flat Pixels: The Battle Between Flat Design & Skeuomorphism


Comments

Kamil Fijałkowski said…
It depends a lot on the type o presented information and type of website. If I had to choose, I would like Flat Design more. It's usually easiest and forward the same information. Additionaly pages open faster that site with huge graphics, which is very important for mobile devices. Waiting longer than "immediately" to open a website is too long todays. In generall I very like current trends in web design.
28 May 2014 at 13:54
Sergio Cosentino said…
Actually there are quite a few sites that use the flat design and I for one like it. It's practical, it's neat, it's clean. And I actually don't agree that it's somehow harder to use, in my opinion the flat design is usually very clear and intuitive. I like it very much because not only it gives a nice polished and modern feel to an interface but it also is very practical, as it consumes less resources and is faster. So yeah, I'm all for flat (only when it comes to web design though! :P).
30 May 2014 at 17:33
Dalvia said…
I like both styles, although thanks to smartphones etc I most likely would go for flat design. I wen't to the page, I did a battle with realism, and I won. Barely.... but it was fun, thanks for sharing it with us :):) It's an amazing thing, I dodn't even think about those kinds of making websites. i was always going for simplicity.... nice to know!
1 June 2014 at 19:57
Unknown said…
Questions:
Which design style do you prefer? Flat design or skeuomorphism?
I think I would go for the flat design. I like things to look simple and clean. I make some web design myslef and I always go flat when ever it is up to me to decide. However sometimes customers have their own vision of the project and all I do is trying to meet their likings whit which ever style they demand.
Do you know any interesting sites designed in the flat or real style?
I have seen quite few flat and real style designes, hovever you will have to excuse me as I will not posts real style examples as I simple do not remember the URLs. However you could look on this flat design example http://wistia.com/ whith a small addition of realistic images. We could say that this is a mix design style.
1 June 2014 at 20:02
Sylwia said…
I think it depends on particular website, but when I looked at site which you added to your article skeuomorphism definitely appealed to me more even if page open slower and it is consider as old fashion. However when I think of surfing in the Internet on my mobile then it’s not the look, which matters, but the most important is package size and loading time.
1 June 2014 at 21:34
Kasia Kmieć said…
Like Dalvia, I like both styles, though until now I haven’t even known their names. It’s hard to decide which one is better, I’ve seen both styles made in a great way and awfully. It depends on the designer and on the subject someone describes. In my own work I usually go for the flat style as it simple, clear and neat. It’s hard to design something in the skeuomorphism because it’s hard to find where’s it’s enough.
1 June 2014 at 21:40
Unknown said…
May I ask you where are you working?
1 June 2014 at 22:38
Patryk Długaszek said…
The both of this designs are curious and I like them, but I’m little tired about tiles (from the flat design), which are everywhere (PC, phones and since few days are even on a PJWSTK website). About using one of them, it mainly depend what kind of website or theme are. The realistic design could be more functional than flat, cause good designed website will be functional. In my opinion a simplified design is suited well on the small desktops (cellphones/smartphones etc.), instead skeuomorphism on bigger (for example PC’s desktop).
1 June 2014 at 22:45
Unknown said…
You didn't know? :) strange... You are designing at work or for yourself?
1 June 2014 at 22:45
Tomek said…
I prefer flat design nowadays because it's clear and easy to implement in applications. It also leaves a lot of room for animation. It might be a good idea to make software resemble physical items but more and more people know only the digital representation. For instance, Apple's calendar application was critisized recently for having an ugly top bar because it looked like leather and didn't fit in with the rest of the system. Computers are a basic part of our lives now, they' don't have to reference real-life objects anymore.
1 June 2014 at 23:10
Anonymous said…
Which design style do you prefer? Flat design or skeuomorphism?
In my opinion the layout should depend on the content. Sometimes better is flat, sometimes skeuomorphism has an advantage :). I more like the real design but it is highly subjective assessment. However, the flat appearance of the new iOS for me is dramatic.

Do you know any interesting sites designed in the flat or real style?
Example of good flat design is http://landerapp.com/
1 June 2014 at 23:18
Unknown said…
Which design style do you prefer? Flat design or skeuomorphism?
It is hard to say, but i think that flat design is a little bit better. why? because i love simplycity and minimalism, i like it when there is no unnecessary animations and images.
Do you know any interesting sites designed in the flat or real style?
unfortunatelly not.
2 June 2014 at 00:11
Unknown said…
Parallax scrolling and flat design this is it my friend! Great site and great app by the way.
2 June 2014 at 12:35
Unknown said…
I agree with everyone, it all depends on what is the type of website, to what kind of people addressed our product: young, old, advanced users or beginners.
Personally, I prefer flat websites I need the transparency on the website, but your site made an electrifying impression on me. Immediately showed it to all my friends.
I do not know any interesting page. but for me, each based on HTML5 is awesome, for example top 10 http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/best-html5-websites
21 September 2014 at 00:35
Unknown said…
Several approvals and revisions till the plan is finalized and you'rehappy! In addition, there are people who do web design, who don't have any formal training. discover here
31 May 2020 at 18:54
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