Neumorphism (aka neomorphism) : new trend in UI design

by Silvia Mazzetta Date: 17-06-2020 Neumorphism neomorphism UX UI webdesign

This area, which arises from a basic human need, such as the urge to communicate, is constantly changing thanks to the advances of the technological era. Today, we invite you to reflect on the origin of this discipline and its future challenges.

Graphic language has always been present throughout our lives as a way of representing reality. We've seen this ever since the caveman started painting the cave walls. His drawings were mostly hunting images made with materials such as charcoal, resin, blood and plants. While they used their hands or reeds as a tool to apply them on the wall.

We also see it in the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, which were graphic representations of everyday life. For this, they used clay as a support and bamboo canes to make the incisions. However, graphic language takes on a more abstract meaning. In other words, the meaning and the signifier are not equivalent.

collection-elements-neumorphic-style

 

A Look Into The Future Of Web Design

 

If you're a designer and have been looking for references for your next projects on sites like Dribbble, Behance or blogs, chances are you've come across many interfaces that look like this:

Sober backgrounds, borderless shapes and the use of shadows and lights are the main characteristics of this trend. Its presence has become especially popular in interface design, both desktop and mobile.

 

We're talking about Neomorphism

 

This style began to be built with the aim of giving the user elements of a graphic interface that resemble everyday objects in reality. That is, it is a new form of graphic representation of reality for digital media.

Where does neomorphism come from?

The term Neomorphism is the combination of the word New and the term Skeumorphism, coined by Steve Jobs to describe the "traditional" look of its interfaces in the first versions of Iphone, how to forget these interfaces!
Following the second principle of Nielsen Heuristics, this trend tries to imitate as closely as possible the objects and artifacts we interact with in real life. This was reflected in tools such as the calculator, iBook and its book case or the notepad app, which obviously looked like a notepad.

While this aesthetic proved effective in a period where the transition from analog was just beginning, today users are already accustomed to having a digital interface.
Therefore, it is no longer necessary to resemble the objects of reality, but it is enough that they evoke the same sensation.
Interfaces such as those of Google and Apple, currently have a much flatter and more sober design, where the use of floating figures stands out.

 

The good and the bad

 

This form of graphic representation stands out for being sober and clean. So it's easy to create an appropriate contrast to highlight elements that we want our users to see first. Calls to Action (CTA) or some more relevant content are examples of this. It is also characterized by a more timeless and long-lasting aesthetic. The latter being one of the principles of good design according to German designer Dieter Rams.

While its sober appearance is very tempting, it can be a double-edged sword. According to the law of pragnanz, people tend to identify objects with simple shapes more easily. In this case, figures such as squares or circles do not have an edge line separating them from the background. Its "limit" is built on the play of light and shadow. This can result in people with visual perception problems not being able to identify them well.

Neo-morphism design

 

The questionable

 

It must always be assessed whether the style in question is appropriate for the content I am offering. In the particular case of neo-morphism, it may be that sobriety and cleanliness stand out over what I want to communicate in words. It's okay to worry about how I offer my contents, but you have to remember that they have to be easy to read. Robert Bringhurst, poet, typographer and writer, explains in his book "The Elements of Typographic Style":

"The satisfactions of the trade come from clarifying and perhaps even ennobling the text, not from deceiving the unsuspecting reader by the use of perfumes, paints, and iron brassieres applied to empty prose."

 

Graphic design has always been present in our lives and our daily work. It has evolved with us and helped us to communicate effectively. Contrary to what many might think, it is not just about making objects, images or interfaces more beautiful or "aesthetic".

Its objective is to democratize and transmit a message in a visual way so that it can be read and understood better in a specific context.

Neo-morphism, like the Isthmus of Art History and the origin of design as a discipline, is part of the constant iteration of understanding, projecting and remaking our environment in order to create unique experiences.

Images:

by Filip Legierski 

https://github.com/pawlik92/flutter_whirlpool

 
by Silvia Mazzetta Date: 17-06-2020 Neumorphism neomorphism UX UI webdesign hits : 7828  
 
Silvia Mazzetta

Silvia Mazzetta

Web Developer, Blogger, Creative Thinker, Social media enthusiast, Italian expat in Spain, mom of little 9 years old geek, founder of  @manoweb. A strong conceptual and creative thinker who has a keen interest in all things relate to the Internet. A technically savvy web developer, who has multiple  years of website design expertise behind her.  She turns conceptual ideas into highly creative visual digital products. 

 
 
 

Related Posts

How to improve customer experience through speech recognition

Voice of the Customer (VoC) is essential to a successful customer experience (CX) programme. However, VoC data is often disparate, making it difficult to use. Service organisations looking to make…

How To Use Varnish As A Highly Available Load Balancer On Ubuntu 20.04 With SSL

Load balancing with high availability can be tough to set up. Fortunately, Varnish HTTP Cache server provides a dead simple highly available load balancer that will also work as a…

Top tools for UX design and research

This article is a compilation of the "ux tools" I have tested in recent years. I've separated the tools by categories, although I recommend you to take a look at all…

The best free tools for linkbuilding

Linkbuilding is one of the main factors in improving the SEO positioning of a page. Having a profile of inbound links from pages with great authority can mean the difference…

How to ‘leave’ a WhatsApp group without actually leaving

If you want to leave a WhatsApp group but don't want the 'You left the group' message to be displayed, read this article. Some people love WhatsApp groups, and some people…

How to install a Linux partition on a Windows 10 PC

In spite of a past we could say almost confronted, the approach between Windows and Linux is accelerating more and more, drawing a story closer to love than to hate.…

WSL2 is released to run Linux distributions on Windows

If you are reading about this for the first time, the Windows Subsystem for Linux is a kind of virtual machine that allows you to run the Linux terminal on…

Parenting, pandemic and UX: Learning from design of experiences

After the quarantine, many of us have had to adapt our work and personal routines to the new remote paradigm. As a mother, I decided to share some things I've learned. We've…

How to get notified when one of your WhatsApp contact is online

Privacy is one of the most important aspects among most users of the popular Facebook messaging application. So much so, that many settings have been included in WhatsApp itself to…

How to change font size and format in WhatsApp

Your WhatsApp messages can be much more original and fun by changing the font, size, or format. Here's how. WhatsApp is the leading messaging app for virtually everyone, with permission from…

WhatsApp: How to View Deleted Messages

Words are carried away by the wind, as long as they are not written on WhatsApp. Sending it was like getting a tattoo, something you'll always like, or yet it'll…

Linux For Dummies: Permissions

In the previous articles I made a short introduction to the Unix world and in the following article I have dealt with the basic commands for the file system management. Today we are…

Clicky