With the attention span of gnats, it’s no wonder our tastes in design change so frequently. It wasn’t long ago design trends shifted from 3D-looking glossy icons with rounded edges and gradients, to what’s been called “flat design.” Microsoft was an early adopter of Flat Design with the introduction of Windows 8, and Apple jumped on the flat design bandwagon with their iOS7 update.
As a result, many websites and apps followed the trend of minimalist interface design and moved flat design from a novelty to mainstream phenomenon.
But just when we thought we were settling in to a new trend that would stick around for at least the foreseeable future, a new trend is gaining traction in graphic design.
Many quickly became bored with the flatness of flat design, and blended the best of both worlds into what’s now being called Long Shadow design.
What is Long Shadow Design?
As the name suggests, the designs are set to use shadows disproportionately. The minimalist design principle follows a simple pattern: Every object in your design has a “flat”, diagonally displayed (l 45 degrees), two-dimensional shadows included having at least 2.5 times the size of the object. Since the “shadow” is so dramatically disproportionate, it’s less of a shadow, and more of really cool design element.
Some refer to the Long Shadow design as “The sequel to flat design”. However, Long Shadow design should rather be considered as a further development in the large flat-design movement.
Long-shadow design is based on the aesthetic approaches of flat design, this carries on and gives them an additional perspective. At the end of the day it all boils down to taste. Long Shadow Design may be hip and happening today, and the movement of Flat Design may continue to evolve, but attractive design never goes out of style.
As time and technology advances, we’ll see many more trends come and go with Web Design and Mobile Application Design. Staying up on the latest trends is important, since you’re marketing your products to the customers of today - not those where were interested 10 years ago.
Feel free to download this free gift from our friends at awwwards.com and join the Long Shadow Design movement!
