How Flat Design Works

How Flat Design Works

Whether you like it or not, “flat” design is everywhere. I think a lot of people have been trying to ignore it as if it was just an annoying trend, but it is going to be popular for a good long while. If it wasn’t a valuable trend, companies like Apple and Microsoft wouldn’t bother with it. So now that you have decided to give in, how does this Flat UI stuff work? Here is some information to help you with that question!

So what are some key elements to Flat Designs? The most obvious thing is that they are flat, meaning there aren’t any gradients or shadows to make things look more lifelike or 3D-esque. So that means everything is simpler and easier to make, right? Not really. There is a fine balance of many things when it comes to design with Flat UI in mind. Among many other things, there are major minimalistic grid elements. For some people, this comes naturally, but others have to train themselves to stay away from “busier” designs. It can be hard!

I try my best to make nice looking flat designs, but I can’t say I’m an expert. Here are some GREAT articles about flat design that you can learn a lot from!

Getting Started with Flat UI Design – Sitepoint.com
Sitepoint is a great website full of extremely resourceful tutorials and articles. They have everything from Rails coding to beginner Photoshop tutorials!

Flat Design: An In-Depth Look – Awwwards.com 
Awwwards is an awesome site full of amazing web design inspiration. Be sure to check out their blog for even more great resources!

Flat And Thin Are In – SmashingMagazine.com
Smashing Magazine is one of my favorite design sites of all the interwebs. Check them out for some extremely useful tips and tricks!

So whether you were an early adopter of flat design, or are begrudgingly conforming to the current trend, I hope you found some useful information here!

Have a favorite flat design trick or link? Drop us a line below!