Material Design is a term introduced by Google at the I/O Conference last year and it is now starting to become a popular design technique among professional web designers. For those of you who are wondering what Google I/O is, it is the annual software developer-focused conference held by Google in San Francisco, California. The I and O stand for Input and Output as well as Innovation in the Open.

From Google: “We challenged ourselves to create a visual language for our users that synthesizes the classic principles of good design with the innovation and possibility of technology and science. This is material design. This spec is a living document that will be updated as we continue to develop the tenets and specifics of material design.”

The purpose of Material Design:

1) Create what Google calls a “visual language” that focuses on the basics and classic principles of good and effective design.

2) Think of ways to simplify and unify the users’ experience on a website based on the device they are using. Again Google shows how important having a mobile responsive website is to them and to all Internet users.

What the terms mean:

1) From Google: “Material is the metaphor”

It is their design theory that focus on making sense of design and motion on websites. Everything done in the design should be intentional.

Everything is considered: colors, patterns, textures, movements, interactions and so forth. The design is again intentional and is aimed to improve the experience of the website visitors.

2) From Google: “Bold, graphic, intentional”

They based the concept of Material Design on print-based design. I personally owned two print shops in my lifetime so I can relate to that concept. It thinks of the importance of the right typography, the proper use of spacing and scaling, the emotional meaning of colors and how images and photos can influence the visitor’s feeling. Together all of these design elements create a positive feeling on the visitor’s part therefore increasing the likelihood of him/her making a purchase or taking a desired action.

3) From Google: “Motion provides meaning”

Movement, also referred to as motion, should also have an intent, not just pretty or interesting. It should keep the interest of the visitors while moving them along the “sale process”. It should never be overwhelming to the senses, confusing and/or annoying. The quicker you get your prospect to where you want him/her to be, the higher the change of them buying from you.

Google recommends that action “takes place in a single environment”.  Objects should move together or, at the very least, in a manner that makes sense.

Material Design can be a complicated design concept to explain but its goal is to truly improve, simplify and quicken the user’s experience on the web regardless of the device they are using.

For more on this concept, view our 15-minute video from Internet Marketing Thursday: