Interesting, but this guy seems to be cherry picking design styles to drum up the rivalry aspect - possibly for dramatic effect.

For instance: apple.com looks nothing like iOS, and Android looks nothing like GMail. I think Apple and Google try their best to make user interfaces that are right for the medium and device.

I'll grant him however that Microsoft does appear to be applying their one-size fits all "solution" to everything in sight. Microsoft seems to be more concerned with differentiation than design.

- Trevor

On Fri, Feb 22, 2013 at 10:39 AM, Pau Giner <pginer@wikimedia.org> wrote:
Interesting read.
I think that behind the "skeuomorphism vs. flat design" discussion there is a different prioritization of valid design principles.

  • Flat design focuses on: not replicating mechanical artifacts (e.g., no need to limit calendar apps to the one page per month limit that exists on paper), and removing excise (no leather stripes).
  • Skeumorphic focuses on: making things obvious (i.e., something clickable should look clickable), and respecting conventions (especially those that users bring from how things work in the real world).
I think that Google is getting a good balance in the above principles in their latest designs for Android, Google Now and some other products. There is an interesting article about how Google organised its "design revolution": http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/24/3904134/google-redesign-how-larry-page-engineered-beautiful-revolution


Pau


On Fri, Feb 15, 2013 at 11:59 PM, Brandon Harris <bharris@wikimedia.org> wrote:


        Personally, I find most modern design trends to be boring as hell. I wish we'd shake things up and innovate more.

        Anyways.  Here's this:

                        http://sachagreif.com/flat-pixels/


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Brandon Harris, Senior Designer, Wikimedia Foundation

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Pau Giner
Interaction Designer
Wikimedia Foundation

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