According to Wikipedia “Flat design is a minimalist UI design genre, or design language, commonly used in graphical user interfaces (such as web applications and mobile apps), especially in graphical materials as posters, arts, guide documents, publishing products.”

Furthermore “Flat design is a style of interface design emphasizing minimum use of stylistic elements that give the illusion of three dimensions (such as the use of drop shadows, gradients or textures) and is focused on a minimalist use of simple elements, typography and flat colors.”

All these explanations sound quite technical and in truth Flat Design can be technical though the basic concept is simple. For many reasons which will cover in this post, Flat Design became very popular last year and is continuing to do very well with Internet users.

=1= Clarity and efficiency:

Design elements in Flat Design are very streamlined. There is less “fluff” and more focus on a modern, minimalist and efficient website design. That does not mean it is sterile. On the contrary, by simplifying and streamlining the design, the website has more of what is important:

• Focus on the feel of the pages … the feeling you wish people to have when they visit your site.
• Clarity of the message … less “stuff” means a clearer organization of each page for both the text and the visual elements.
• Emphasis on the calls-to-action … again more breathing room for your important calls-to-action.

Overall Flat Design allows for an easier and quicker way to communicate online with the website visitors.

=2= How it is done:

• Simple typography: fonts that are easy to read regardless of the device used to view a website.
• Flat color scheme which are solid colors oftentimes bold and vibrant colors without texture or pattern.
• Simple design elements.
• Succinct copy writing: Uncrowded text that speaks frankly and right to the point without being abrupt.
• Shadowing: Shadows help bring interest and depth to design elements.
• Ghost buttons: Often use for your calls-to-action, they are highly functional and visible without taking away from the design.
• Overall design is minimal: By reducing the number of web elements on each page the overall design is uncluttered and orderly.

=3= Recap of the benefits:

This Flat Design approach to website development gives an clean, uncluttered appearance to a site making it easier for a user to navigate, to understand your message clearly and quickly and focus on what is most important to your business. It works for most industries and we, at Business Website Center, feel strongly that this is a trend that will continue to grow in the future.

For additional discussions on Flat Design, call us in California at 707-794-9999.

Remember our team is on Pacific Standard Time.