general media Since when did flat colors become trendy in branding?

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

We see this aesthetic almost everywhere these days. The simple, flat colored, "poppy" look on mobile platforms, websites, and even entire corprate brandings. A big example is Google's new logo, which reflects the design language and branding they've been rolling out on all of it's products. Then Apple adopted a simillar look for it's platforms. Microsoft with their metro look. And veering outside the tech companies, McDonalds is even using it in it's branding. Why is the look becoming popular? I see the appeal with the simplicity it has, but it seems more and more companies are adopting it. It's kind of like in the 90s where everything had to have atittude, in the 2010s, everything has to be clean and simple. 

 

[Speckledtail 14]

This is just my idea, but I think that it's because people have less time to look at ads now. A flat, simple color is easier to glance over, giving the viewer more information faster. The details used in the 90s require more time before the brain can process the word and it's meaning. At least, that's what makes most sense from my psychology-based background.

[Seraph 128]

This is just my idea, but I think that it's because people have less time to look at ads now. A flat, simple color is easier to glance over, giving the viewer more information faster. The details used in the 90s require more time before the brain can process the word and it's meaning. At least, that's what makes most sense from my psychology-based background.

That's not too far off actually, I have a friend of mine who is in business and he says that they encourage people to use flatter colors.  He gave me some of the textbooks after he was done with the classes so I could read them and they mention that this new "Era" needs to make information as easy to absorb as possible and flat colors can help with that. Which also makes sense from a psychological standpoint like you stated. 

[Celtore 2,770]

There's a certain appeal to the elegant simplicity of flatness and minimalism compared to something more detailed. At least for me, that's why I like that sort of styling. Nothing to do with any deeper meanings, I just like how it looks and it's not that difficult of an art style to do.

 

There have been plenty of design trends in the past and this one probably won't be the last. It is kind of funny though how you can sometimes identify when a certain program was made based on the style of its icon.

Edited December 21, 2015 by Celtore

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 42,202]

Probably to try and get the attention of people's eyes with the tactic of color. Color is actually a huge strategy in business. Proper color coordination can really do wonders in getting the attention of others.  I have a friend who ius in a business that uses this a lot.

[Castle Bleck 19,451]

Softer colors are easier to look at and less likely to cause eye-headaches than overblown colors, IMO.