Google’s new design language, Material Design has received praise from just about every critic in the industry. By removing much of the unnecessary clutter we’re used to seeing, the flat, minimalist-like approach has proven to have a very clean and efficient look. Its grid-based layouts, responsive animations/transitions, and lighting/shadows have given both an aesthetic and performance-based appeal.
Because of Material Design, apps and websites can now create layers to illustrate depth in their designs.
Described by Google as a “living document” the concept is shared with a physical stack of papers. The more paper there is, the thicker it appears. The design is supposed to animate the idea of stacking flat materials – giving the design a 3-D feel. Google’s G-Mail logo is an early example of Material Design. With no shadows added to the design (as we’ve seen in previous design trends) there is a stark contrast of colors to illustrate the layers that would resemble an envelope.
The goal of animated design is to add a custom effect and compliment their new design with added motion.
With Material Design’s popularity spreading at a rapid rate, designers are preparing for websites to use the same concept for their website designs, leading to many websites to look similar. This is why many designers are choosing to stand out by adding strategic animations in their designs. The goal of animated design is to add a custom effect and to compliment their new design with added motion. If there was one word to describe how Material Design is using Animations, it would be motion. Coming from a flat, minimalist-approach, Material Design is taking Microsoft’s Metro and adding motion, to bring designs to life. Impressive as this is, this is just the start of Material Design’s dominance in its marketplace.
As mobile applications in the Google Play Store have begun to use Material Design more, the use of responsive animations has certainly proven to be effective. Trend-forward applications such as Slack, Evernote, Google Drive, eBay, and Textra, have adopted the Material Design concept and appear both fresh and current.
As a digital agency, Active Web Group has to be aware and up-to-date on the latest design trends – this is important to stay current. While some elements of AWG’s website were inspired by Material Design, we will not embrace it fully to the exclusion of other elements as we find more success in creating our own custom design languages. You can learn more about Active Web Group and get a free website evaluation.
Material Design is changing the way websites and apps are formatted and used to enhance the users experience
Like any trend, a popular design language will change how dominant design appears. Tracking the changes between different popular design languages (in this case, iOS 7, Metro, and now Material Design) can potentially predict what is to come in the future of the design world.
Eye-catching animations have complimented the minimalist simplicity of Material Design, bringing custom web designs to life with an elevated user experience. This design is the product of constant design language evolution, combining aesthetics with functionality. Material Design’s dominance has moved towards mobile, as various apps on Google Play have and will continue to adapt the new design language.
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Active Web Group is a full-service digital marketing agency based in Hauppauge NY. With experts in custom and responsive web design, Active Web Group focuses on digital strategies and optimization to ensure the highest ROI for their clients.
