Flat Design
Flat Design
A design approach that skips 3D effects and shadows in favor of flat, simple colors and shapes.
In Simple Terms
Flat design is a simple, two-dimensional style you'll often see on smartphone screens, with all sense of depth removed. It's widely used for app icons and website menus. By skipping decorative touches like shadows and gradients, it keeps screens uncluttered and makes information easier to understand.
Behind the Name
The name simply describes what it is: a "flat" (two-dimensional, without depth) approach to "design". It emerged as the opposite of skeuomorphism, the earlier design style that used shading and texture to make on-screen elements look like real, three-dimensional objects.
Take a Closer Look!
Flat design is a design approach that minimizes three-dimensional effects like gradients, shadows, and textures, building everything from flat, two-dimensional elements instead.
It uses clean colors and simple shapes like circles and squares to organize information clearly.
Put simply, it's a style that deliberately drops realism in favor of on-screen clarity.
Older computer and smartphone screens commonly used designs that made buttons look three-dimensional, like real-world objects.
But as people grew used to operating digital devices, they no longer needed that three-dimensional look to recognize a button, and this simpler style spread.
Flat design isn't just simpler to look at.
Since it skips elaborate decoration, it's also easier to create and revise.
It also makes it easier to keep a consistent design across smartphones and computers, even though their screen sizes differ.