From the moment Elliot Jay Stokes
sharply called for destroying the Web 2.0 face , one could notice the “crackling” of the network: fewer “glass” buttons, beveled edges, reflections, special offer labels, vulgar gradients with bright colors and diagonal patterns. Transformation was gladly accepted by all, except perhaps the most avid fans of gloss. However, design and aesthetics follow only their path, and only in web design one tendency stalled, and another appeared.
Symptoms
So what is this new epidemic? Perhaps we will start by looking at the most common symptoms, many of which you probably already noticed. They are easily distinguished, and, as in other disorders, they often appear in combination. (This is why infection is spreading so effectively - when combined, the outwardly independent symptoms become much more infectious.)
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Note: the following list is without any specific order and does not reflect the level of infectiousness or severity, which, it seems, is the same for everyone. Notice also that the examples presented often reflect more than one symptom, making the classification even more difficult.
Stitches
Stitches appear gradually, often as a result of a designer’s game with lines and borders, especially with dotted varieties. A mature suture can be recognized by subtle transitions from points to lines, reinforced by falling shadows and other effects designed to create a sense of volume. The goal of the seam is something unclear, but they thrive in environments where appropriate textures are applied, especially fabric and leather, as well as simply grain.
It is difficult to determine the exact cause of stitches; scientists are confident that sutures belong to a larger type of infection known as “skevomorphism”.

Clockwise from the top:
Mina Trana magazine;
Mason Yarnella's publication on the
Dribbble website;
Liam McCabe's publication on the Dribble website.
Zigzag borders
Borders are a common element of web design and therefore difficult to avoid; Fortunately, they are usually harmless and have a positive effect on the layout. However, for some reason, one of the varieties of borders - zigzag - has spread at an exponential pace in the past few years and now threatens the natural ranges of less aggressive copies of the borders. It is not known exactly why this happens, although some researchers argue that a pattern made up of opposed diagonals has such a seductive effect for designers and clients that straight borders lose some of their charm.

Clockwise from the top: “
Yu Nou Hu ”;
Christopher Paul’s publication on the Dribbble website;
Megan Fisher's publication on the Dribbble website.
Split Ends Ribbons
Like borders, ribbons have a long history of existence in various forms. However, what we have now is the almost complete predominance of one particular style of ribbon, easily determined by a split at one or both ends. Some ribbons are also bent twice, which creates an artificial depth effect and enhances the diagonal effect at the ends. It is unclear whether such ribbons are associated with a zigzag effect, but apparently the key to the survival of the ribbons are diagonal lines along with the ability to evoke memories of past times.
The danger of ribbons lies mainly in their ability to exist independently of other symptoms (although they thrive in a company with a vintage printing press). This means that ribbons can continue to age your design already and far after the end of the epidemic, even if the symptom seems hidden. In many ways, the situation is reminiscent of Web 2.0 design special offer icons.

Clockwise from the top:
Ryan Rourke website ;
Cabage website ;
Jake Prespo site .
Textures
The problem is the need for evidence of the predominance of textures in our illustrations and backgrounds due to the fully digital era and the presence of this symptom in our list as one of the most common. Expressed by light grain, dirt and scratches, paper-like surfaces and fold marks, the technique uses the spirit of handwork, but, ironically, it is completely opposite in essence: these are only computer-generated effects or Photoshop brushes.
The prevalence of the use of textures can be explained by the thirst for tactile media (we take into account the peculiarities of touch screens) and envy, directed towards the area of work of print designers, who have access to a much richer palette of materials and surfaces.

Clockwise from the top: the
site of Gerren Lamson ;
Zero app site ;
Amasia Labs website .
High printing
An article from "Smashing Magazine" back in 2009, described the high print as one of the most popular trends of the year, and how they turned out to be right. A simple effect has become common and is now a household device for decorating a print shop on the net. Letterpress is a relatively innocuous symptom that at the beginning of the millennium infected designers of digital interfaces, such as operating systems and games, indicating a long incubation period.
Scientists cannot agree on one thing: either the infection needs a critical mass to come out of the incubation period, or the infection just needs the right conditions — KSS3 shadows, to be precise, so that symptoms appear.

Clockwise from the top:
Billy Tamplin website ;
Phillip's publication on the Dribbble website;
Remix website .
Illustrations of the XIX century.
After the release of copyright from quarantine, this symptom, enjoying the attention of fashionable ladies and gentlemen, was practically eliminated due to the peculiarities of the latest epidemic and its inability to get along with gloss and gloss. But in a new environment suitable for vintage, he was able to find his way back to the visual repertoire. Be that as it may, the illustrations of the 19th century are likely to remain with us for a while, flashing from time to time like a flu virus.

Clockwise from the top: the
site of Kilian Muster ;
Trent Walton's publication on the Dribbble website;
Simon Collison website .
Muffled tones
After a long period of brightness, the typical color scheme has become paler. You can see the widespread use of brown, dark green, mustard and the general to the dirty colors, although it is believed that this is only a minor sign of the epidemic. Some scientists even argue that muffled tones, in fact, are not a symptom at all, but only a side effect of other manifestations, just like sweating is a natural reaction to a fever.

Clockwise from the top: the
publication of Dave Ruiz on the Dribbble website;
Cognition website ;
Web Standards Sherpa website .
Centered or justified text
The symptom is not new; in fact, this was the standard of the first 500 years of typography before the arrival of Chihold and the new printing house. After this, the principle was quarantined because of its old-fashioned nature, difficulty in reading and inefficiency. Perhaps this historical connection and the vintage symptoms could have been what helped so energetically return to leveling. It is known that in recent years reading habits have not changed among people (most representatives of Western civilization are still reading from left to right), and there is no plausible pretext that leveling improves comprehensibility; therefore, whatever this revolt may cause, we know that its roots are in subjective emotions, and not rational ideas.

Clockwise from the top:
Grip Limited ;
Tommy website ;
site "Visual Republic" .
Round logos with handwritten inscriptions.
A circle is a basic form and in fact is no more a symptom of an epidemic than, for example, a triangle. However, if you put several triangles in a row, you get a zigzag. Similarly, if you enter a circle in the logo, you get a round logo. And if in the logo there is an inscription made in hand-written font, then, as you correctly understood, you will get a Round logo with a hand-written inscription. Not that they were lethal, but they are contagious enough and can be very detrimental if they get enough carriers.

Clockwise from the top:
Trent Walton website ;
website “Merci ;
James Seymour-Lock’s publication on the Dribbble website.
Skevomorphic details
Skevomorphic details, that is, decorations or design details on an object that are copied from the object's shape to another environment, are frequent, especially in mobile applications, and this symptom is one of the defining signs of an epidemic. Cancer mutations in the form of weakly expressed skeuomorphic details are possible, such as seams and letterpress, but sometimes the details expand and fill the entire interface, inflating with excessive references to physical objects and materials. Nevertheless, according to some researchers, due to the work associated with the preparation of graphics and the need for image sources, one can hardly expect the prevalence of skeuomorphic details in the browsers of our desktop computers.
In fact, most scientists attribute the phenomenon to curiosity and predict that some virtual metaphors for real signs will prove their necessity (as happened with tabs), and some will not. It is interesting that Apple continues to act as a pioneer of this technique, while Google finds the strength to avoid imitations of physical reality in its interfaces. Maybe they have a vaccine?

Clockwise from the top: application "
i-Books ";
posting user skorky on the site "Dribbbl";
Igor Shkarin's publication on the Dribbble website.
How did it start?
Cutting down the epicenter of the design epidemic (I mean the trend) is not an easy task, especially considering the darkness of the symptoms and the contagious nature of the Internet. It is practically impossible to determine the first patient, and, from a pragmatic point of view, it is meaningless. It can be said that we got a reaction to the aesthetics of Web 2.0 - the thirst for textured surfaces and retro images, sometimes tactile and really looking, like the antidote of glitter impersonality. These are healthy and necessary phenomena to push the design industry forward. A trend, regardless of its source, often serves to solve certain problems or supplant another trend.
Imagine that everyone typically uses sans serif fonts, strong contrasting colors and sharp white backgrounds. And now, in a similar environment, the designer out of all used Clarendon or some other soft serif font to breathe individuality into his own website (for example, Grandma's Home Jam), and then completed everything by choosing earth colors and some wrapping paper textures. . The result would inevitably stand out among the rest of the sites: beautiful, emotional, dissimilar.
Accidentally, the aesthetics of this site inspire another designer, who was working on the site with visitors from all over the world, which showed a new approach to a whole generation of designers who, in turn, deliberately applied it, often without even knowing the context. So the trend was born. And now, oddly enough, there is a constant threat of an epidemic. The more people become infected, the more noticeable the symptoms become; and when the infection reaches a critical mass, the symptoms begin to work against themselves. Bringing individuality into your creation is pointless if everyone does the same.
Is it dangerous?
In today's world of open collaboration, avoiding an epidemic of this magnitude is difficult; therefore, everyone is subject to it to some degree. The above symptoms suffer not only small or novice designers, but also the elite layers of the design community. This means that although the symptoms are harmless, like a light fever or snot caused by a flu epidemic, the viral attack of fashionable details creates a constant pressure on our immune system that protects our creativity. Vigilance is important for maintaining a healthy dose of original thoughts.
If you demonstrate some of the symptoms, then there is nothing to worry about - it is easy to catch a cold common here and there, but it is also not difficult to recover from it. On the other hand, if you observe most of these symptoms in your home, be careful when doing the next project. Using all the signs as key moments in the work can make your portfolio look modern, but this is no different from issuing the creation of your favorite designer, artist or musician for your own. Of course, the symptoms of undetermined origin are not protected by copyright, but this is not the point: you should not worry about the legality, but the honest creativity of the products. The risk is not only that your work will resemble the outgoing trend, and in a couple of years aesthetics will look outdated, but also that, having noticed your work, your colleagues will lose all respect.
Although nothing is original, we all must respect the difference between inspiration and imitation. As Jean-Luc Goddard said: “It doesn’t matter where you take it from — it’s important where.” And if you don’t take it anywhere, then why all this?
Worse, probably, the epidemic had an effect among customers, and then among the design community as a whole. The more designers are infected and the more symptoms of one disease they demonstrate, the less your clients will believe that you are capable of solving business problems. Gradually, they will begin to exclude you in the early stages (where the actual design happens) and will use your services only to tighten the skin on their frame, and gradually the whole profession will descend into an army of decorators.
What can we do about it?
Now, after we have seen how disastrous trends can be, let us ask ourselves how to avoid them. Is it possible at all? Trends are by definition popular, and there’s probably nothing wrong with including them in your product for the sake of increasing representativeness. Convincing a client to use a non-brand design is not easy, and there is a risk to scare the audience, going against the flow just for the sake of non-traditional. On the other hand, blindly following the example of others has never been a good decision, and the unconditional acceptance of fashion trends and thoughtless copying can stifle your creativity, destroy honesty and customer base.
So what to do? Trends are inherent in our society; no matter where — in politics, culture, design, and even religion — wherever a unanimous opinion goes, your opinion or taste will also come there. Alas, in general, avoiding trends seems impossible and pointless, but this means that you are powerless: you can fight this lemming syndrome.
Ask why
In your design decisions, always and constantly ask the magic question: why am I doing this? Am I doing this just because it looks cool or because it reflects the meaning I'm trying to convey? Why is this ribbon? Does this zigzag add or subtract the personality of my website? How are my financial application and this skin texture? You will fall victim to an epidemic if you stop asking questions.
Put a little effort
In the article “The
Perishing Art of Design, ” Francisco Inkast, among other things, states that inspiration requires sweating, and I cannot but agree with him. I was lucky to attend college, where the use of computers in the first year was forbidden, that is, we had to use real tools to express ourselves: draw letters by hand, draw our illustrations, stock up with Panton pens (remember those?), Rape a copier. Our creative potential has grown, and I also learned an important lesson: good design does not come without effort, and the best results come from our own experiments.
Try something else
Remember that being different is usually good. Most of the great people of art, regardless of the scope of their activities, stood out enough for them to be noticed. Who painted the melting watch to Dali? Who had the idea to build a huge wall on the stage before Pink Floyd? Although imitation can be convenient and can provide a guarantee of short-term victories, long-term success requires a unique, memorable approach.
Look for inspiration
To remain creative, it is extremely important to remain curious and looking for inspiration everywhere, and not just in the sets of fashionable themes of “WordPress”. Read books, conduct research, listen to music that you have not heard before, walk to new places or plunge into a foreign culture. Expanding your own horizons beyond your favorite sites and finding more than one source of inspiration is critical to create a new and sustainable design.
Focus on the basics
Finally, to understand what is not defined by style, it is most important to learn the basic principles of design. The system of grids, contrast, clarity, a set of images, good text are key components of a successful design, and they are completely independent of momentary trends and styles.
By and large, design is not so much a style, but a presentation of information, and everything - styles, images and typography - should be a reflection of the content, functionality and individuality of the product, and not something that seems cool right now.
And no matter how good something looks, it also has a place.
Thanks to PATOGEN , who paid attention to this article.