10 years ago Apple killed Skeuomorphism with the release of iOS 7.
Let's explore the trend that helped shape modern computing before becoming an obscure joke.
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The first iPhone launched in 2007.
To make it easier for people to understand a completely new type of interface and interaction skeuomorphic design was used.
It mimics real-world objects, so the interface feels familiar.
Books are on a wooden shelf, notes on paper.
That led to some truly beautiful uses of depth and pixel-perfect interfaces like this:
But sometimes also went really over the top like this photo app for the iPhone.
Steve Jobs was a big fan of Skeuomorphism, seeing how an interface has to be truly crafted down to the smallest detail.
Jony Ive, inspired heavily be Dieter Rams preferred minimalism.
iOS 7 was announced on June 10th 2013 and introduced a super minimal, bold new look and style.
The difference was striking.
Gone was realism, replaced by ultra-minimal styling.
Notice how colors were extremely vibrant in that first iteration of flat design.
Realistic buttons and navbars were replaced by text-links and flat surfaces.
Realistic icons - by thin outlines.
Fonts were also made dramatically thinner, because the retina displays allowed for sharper text on mobile devices.
Since then Apple has reverted some of the changes bringing back a little more depth and thicker, more readable fonts.
Check how the notes icon regained some shadows and gradients after ios 7 in the middle.
That shift was a VERY important milestone for UI design - but that part I'll cover separately.
One thing that definitely got lost somewhere in the process was delight and uniqueness.
Just look at these app icons:
Sure - this one doesn't make sense - but the sheer level of detail here is mindblowing.
An email app icon - doesn't that look a lot more inviting than a flat envelope on a blue background?
Or this one? Beautiful!
If that transition to flat design didn't happen, we'd be in a much, much different world.
I'll tell you more about it soon, but you can watch my video on Skeuomorphism genesis here:
And if you liked that trip down memory lane, share the thread :)
And follow me @michalmalewicz for more :)
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