The Buzz around Flat Website Designs

Flat web design is a relatively new development in online graphic design which aims to avoid the inclusion of any graphical elements which provide no significant value to the structure of the website’s template. It is designed to avoid unnecessary decorative elements and is basically the minimalist way of designing websites. Design is smooth, simple and 100% user-centred.

Skeuomorphism has characterised modern flat website design for some time but there are more developments happening every day and now flat designs need to incorporate responsive elements too. Here’s a closer look at why flat web design is the future and how it maybe be incorporated into your future design projects.

Honesty

The core concept of flat design is honesty. This type of design is honest and is aware of the two dimensional nature of the screen. These designs are simple and avoid tricks to create 3D effects. You’ll see no shadows, gradients, patterns or 3D effects at all. Colours, typography, large amounts of white space and a strict grid system are all that’s needed for a user-friendly experience.

Usable

Flat web design is extremely user-friendly with simplicity at its core. All distracting design elements are gone and the content and message you’re trying to get across is highlighted. Visual cues in the form of colour and typography are all that is necessary to guide users towards the most important elements of content. Flat design differs from minimal design because it’s stripped back to be as simple and clear as possible but cues to keep readers interested and directed towards important elements of the site.

On Trend

Flat design is very much on trend for 2013 and beyond. The flat, clear, contemporary and light feel to the websites mean that users enjoy their web experience. Typography and clear cut white space are popular and appealing and bolder colours as accents are also coming back into fashion. However, following trend blindly is never a sensible idea and always weighs up to whether this type of design suits your client.

Time Saving

Flat web design works quickly and efficiently. The lack of decorative distraction means the user’s line of sight is directly drawn to the content and the essential elements of the site which may have been highlighted or accented in some way with cues. These types of website simply provide users with the content they need, in an attractive way without being packed full of distractive hi-res graphics.

Scalable

Very importantly flat web design is easily scalable which makes it ideal for responsive websites. With the growth of mobile internet usage responsive and adaptive designs are essential. Flat design elements from typography to colour are easily scalable whilst large 3D graphics aren’t and the websites will maintain their clean, fresh look across all mobile devices as well as laptops and desktops.

The simplicity and ease of use that flat design offers makes it an appealing option for designers. It can easily be combined with responsive features making it a fantastic design option right up to date with the latest trends.