This post is in response to Eli Schiff's Fall of the Designer Part I: Fashionable Nonsense.
In both Master iOS Design and Master Web App Design I spend a lot of time talking about design topics that don't relate to aesthetics. We all know the arguments by now of how some people equate design to only be visual, while designers understand that it is more than that.
However, that still doesn't stop us from going crazy when we see a visual change to something. Apple's move to flat design is a great example of this.
Leading up to the change people were excited because let's be honest, a lot of the skeuomorphic design that was happening was terrible. Sure some of it was cool, but green felt in my Game Center? Come on!
Flat design was going to be a welcome change to all of that.
Then iOS 7 came out...
You know how people in the tech world don't understand why people outside of the tech world would go crazy when Kim Kardashian dyes her hair blonde? Well non-tech people were probably looking at design people (actually they weren't looking at all) and wondering what all the fuss was about?
When all of this was happening I had to weed through the different blog posts and twitter rants to see which ones I wanted to pay attention to. What was my weeding criteria? If you didn't talk about usability or experience then I wasn't going to pay attention to you.
Harsh I know, but so many people were complaining about the aesthetics of the changes that it seemed as though it was the only thing they cared about. All of a sudden thousands of designers had turned into their worst clients.
When people were discussing how buttons suddenly became text links that had me interested because that can be confusing for people. That can make their experience worse. Removing a shadow or a gradient? People seem to be able to live with that. Create a button that you aren't sure if you are supposed to tap or not? People can't live that because it is frustrating.
But I'll admit that I like flat design because it means I get to stay away from the fluff of design. I never liked overzealous drop shadows or ridiculous gradients. My first blog about web design in 2003 was as flat as they come.
Flat design challenges me. It makes me focus on the overall experience and not try to hide it in things that are temporary. While other sites were glazed in design makeup I was wondering how I could make the reading experience better.
So now Apple (and Google and Microsoft) have said they prefer that we don't use so much makeup. Let's take a step back and focus on other aspects of the experience because as we all know looks aren't everything. Now the experience comes through the interactions, animations, and sound. Looks are still there, but there are other aspects of design that are on equal footing.
Skeuomorphism worked well because the only way we could truly get a memorable experience with design was by going over the top visually. Now we don't have to do that anymore. Now we can tone down the excessive visuals and offer a more pleasing overall experience that taps into our emotions and other senses.
Can anybody put together a flat design? Of course they can. Anybody could put together a crazy 3D button as well though with the right software. It wouldn't be as refined as the professional's but isn't that the case with flat design as well? You aren't a graphic designer or a visual designer or an interaction designer. You are a designer. That means you are the total package and that package is the experience.
If your skillset and ability to provide a cohesive experience solely rests on your ability to craft a wonderful 3D icon then you have missed the point of being a designer. If you are worried that flat design has taken away your ability to stand out from the crowd or make money, then you either have forgotten the value you bring to the table or never knew what your value was in the first place.
Art and Craft
One of the examples being brought up is how all icons are starting to look the same: white background with a bit of color. Well here are two screenshots from my phone:
Seems to be some variety in these icons. Some white, some colorful, some ugly, some beautiful.
What I see are plenty of different colors on plenty of unique icons. Are they all award-winning? Heck no, but you know what? It doesn't really matter as I still use the apps. Will an ugly icon make people hesitant to give an app a chance? Probably. Will one with a white background and a little bit of color make people think that the icon looks like the rest? Only designers.
Can I respect the beauty and craft of the Instagram icon? Of course, but it also annoys me that it is the 3D standout on my screen. If your argument is to show me the flat version of the Instagram icon floating around then that really isn't an argument. You don't think some great designers could come up with a great icon for Instagram that utilizes flat principles?
The issue many designers seem to have with flat design is that it allows for lazy design. You can just slap a color at the top, throw on some text, and you are done. Sure that is design, but is it a great experience? Probably not.
But as a designer I don't mind lazy design, why? Because then my designs have more room to stand out.
We can't harp on about how restrictions breed creativity and then complain when Apple throws in more restrictions. They've taken our crayons, but have given us nice pencils, a drum set, and a yo-yo to toss around.
Here is Mike Rundle's latest app, Filters. People love its design. Why? It's a flat design so people shouldn't love it. But what flat design has allowed Rundle to do is focus on the other elements of design that bring delight to the experience: colors and animations. The colors are vibrant and the animations are a joy. Nothing is hidden behind some crazy veneer.
Flat design actually makes you try harder. Flat design says "okay buddy, no hiding behind the fluff, let's provide an all-around great experience." Since Apple introduced flat design to iOS have apps been getting worse? Maybe Apple ones have, but the ones I use are becoming more and more delightful.
I can't say I know what Rundle's design process was, but I can imagine that it was great not having to perfect the texture of the navigation bar and instead nail down the animations. Instead of making sure that all the design elements are using the same lighting source he can focus on adding to the experience with vibrant colors.
This is an app called Design Hunt. It's simple and wonderful. It uses flat design and you know what flat design has allowed this design to do? Let the content stand out. That's one of the main tenants of flat design and one of the core philosophies of iOS design.
I love reading on my iPhone because 99% of the time there is no focus on the UI. The UI completely disappears and is replaced by beautiful images and typography. With flat design you can't get away with crappy typography. You just can't.
Sure Apple tries with some of its apps, but Apple apps aren't the majority.
Experiences
It's silly to think that designers don't care about how something looks. We most definitely do, but our designs are not defined by how they look. That might be the initial impression that our design offers, but the lasting impression comes from the experience.
We don't have to say we are experience designers because we are just designers. That's what designers do, they design experiences. The experiences that we design are not defined by our ability to use drop shadows or textures, they are defined by so much more.
Whenever someone offers me critical feedback on my designs that talk about how they look, it doesn't sting me at all. I know how looks are subjective and not everyone will like a certain color or font that I use. However, if someone comes to me and tells me that one of my designs was hard to use it hurts.
It hurts real bad.
In contrast if someone tells me they love the look of my site then I'll get a nice feeling for a couple of seconds. If someone tells me that my design provided them with an awesome experience then I will have a nice feeling for a week.
Did Apple take away the craft of putting together an extremely intricate 3D icon? Yeah. Does that mean some designers get to miss out? Probably. Does this make for a worse experience for the user? Nope.
You still have free reign to make any type of icon you want. You still have free reign to control the experience of your design. You can make your app look like Apple apps or you can make it a standout experience. If your one criteria for a great experience is whether or not your app looks like another app then you might be missing something.
You are a designer, not an artist.