Five UI styles for the second half of 2021, there must be one you like!

It is difficult to innovate in design, and it is even more difficult to create newer visuals in today's mature UI model. Coincidentally, I have also been studying some new expression techniques recently, and I have found some good design styles that I would like to share with you. I hope you can learn some key skills from them.

These styles and techniques involve layout, texture, natural texture and geometric form. If used in combination, I believe they can bring many design highlights to your design.

Niche Magazine Aesthetics

This may be the first time you have heard of the "niche magazine" aesthetic, and it is a term I have been thinking about recently. The characteristics of this style are: large fonts, blank space, and a layout composition that is basically based on photos, so we need to be strict in selecting photos.

"Niche magazine aesthetics" has also become popular in recent years, such as photo magazines and comic magazines. Photos are easier to understand, so choose photos that are more artistic and emotional. Comic magazines are relatively more hand-painted, which is also a feature of this style. Because this style is rarely used in UI, I won't go into it here.

Hand-painted

The "niche magazine aesthetics" style pays more attention to large space blank space, staggered layout, superimposed layout or pure text layout in layout. The core idea is mainly formalization, and the functionality will be slightly weaker.

This kind of tonality is generally suitable for lightweight and literary products, such as light music, light magazines, Douban literary sections, etc. Therefore, when using it, you need to pay attention to how to better combine function and form.

Natural texture

"Natural texture" is closer to the texture of nature, and generally appears in the design in the form of abstraction + matrix parameterization effect. This effect is generally used in the detailed design of UI controls, such as icon parameterization, control shape parameterization, voice shape parameterization, etc.

The form of this parametric dot matrix texture can be a brand super symbol, or some customized parametric dot matrix graphic forms, or it can be evolved based on the brand concept.

As shown above, dot texture is used in smart watches.

Concept application of Meizu dot texture.

Stained Glass

"Stained glass" as a design material has existed for many years, and the visual effect of refracting light leaves an indelible impression on people.

"Stained glass" is affected by ambient light. The visual form refracted by light will undergo abstract changes in texture, and its beauty is self-evident.

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Today, "stained glass" has made a comeback in an avant-garde form, and it is also the result of designers breaking through difficulties and exploring new design styles. This style can be applied to the visual design of product startup pages or the scene construction in UI product packaging.

Monochrome aesthetic

I don’t know when “monochrome aesthetics” started to appear more and more in the public’s vision. Perhaps designers are tired of multi-color UIs and turn to monochrome style design. Monochrome style features: strong brand color, black and white are integrated into the design to combine the dullness of a single brand color, and the overall effect is simple and lightweight.

If you get tired of multi-color UI design one day, you might as well try this monochrome style. Of course, this style also has certain risks and is not suitable for complex products. You can use it in concept exercises and you can also play with various tricks.

Supermorphism

The core idea of ​​"super-formalism" will not appear in a conventional form, but challenge some fresh abstract styles to appear in the public's vision, which is most suitable for our innovative application. The biggest feature of this tonality is that it is good at breaking the rules and going its own way.

"Hypermorphism" + new mimicry style, a different visual aesthetic appears. This form can exist in any form in UI controls.

The 5 UI style techniques shared today are important to you when designing. You must learn how to use them skillfully in product design to maximize their value.

Well, that’s all for this week. If this article is helpful to you, please give us a thumbs up and support UX!