My Nostalgia for Early 2010s Graphic Design
With the recent reveal of Apple's new standardized "Liquid Glass" look for their operating systems, it has made me think on their previous eras of graphic design.
Apple stated that this is their biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 in 2013, which is a straight-up fact, and that has led me to think about the state of all graphic design since that update.
Since iOS 7 the trend has been flat colours and textures, at most maybe a gradient, and I've seen a lot of disdain for this "minimalist" aesthetic.
Although I personally didn't mind the rise of this minimalist aesthetic, there is something I prefer of the old style of graphic design, and it's something that I feel like has been lost for the past decade: Texture.
From the original iOS days, to a lot of online web series from the time, I noticed that even if they had relatively simple graphic design, just the addition of texture completely changed it and gave it more personality.
Specifically I was thinking back to The Escapist, an old online magazine that used to have a lot of great video talent (the specifics of that are a story for another time), and I noticed this exact same thing. Most shows had relatively simple graphic design in a vacuum, but they all had a texture to them that just gave them the right look and feel.
I don't know if it's the fact that it makes it look a bit more organic or real, or if it just gives a larger sense of personality, but the texture really went a long way at making each show have its own unique identity!
Just like how iOS 7 gave way for the trend of minimalism, hopefully these new changes will usher in the return of texture in graphic design in general, and especially branding/marketing!
