Skeuomorphism, what is it?

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If you have any questions about Skeuomorphism, you should read this.



  • http://twitter.com/Kosmatos Odi Kosmatos

    Here’s my favorite example of Skeuomorphism. The world of The Matrix? It’s entirely skeuomorphic. The world of Tron? Far less.

  • MightySkeuomorphinPowerRanger

    You know which iOS app was the most blatant example of skeuomorphism from day one, when the iPhone was first demonstrated? Calculator.app. Nobody complained about that at the time.

    There’s nothing wrong with skeuomorphism. People are confusing skeuomorphism with “tacky” i.e. the leathery design of Calendar.app, etc.

    Completely ignoring it leads to Windows 8 style designs that are bland and unintuitive – great for UI hipsters and OCD nerds, but terrible for normal people.

    • http://darcyfitzpatrick.tumblr.com/ Darcy Fitzpatrick

      The backlash against skeumorphism is because there have been so many cases in the past few years where it was used inappropriately or simply done poorly. Were that not the case, I don’t think you’d be hearing anyone complain about it.

      It’s not that people don’t like skeumorphism, it’s that they only like it when it’s appropriate and well executed.

      Of course Windows 8 would throw the baby out with the bathwater – when has MS ever shown any real understanding of design?

      • http://twitter.com/Moeskido Moeskido

        I get the impression Microsoft often starts with a good idea, like the cleanliness of Metro, then allows too many mid-level executives to load it up with irrelevant details that kill the simplicity. “No compromises.”

  • http://willimholte.com/ Will Imholte

    It’s funny to me that the the 15 examples of ‘great skeuomorphism’ are all dribbble style/contextless screenshots. They might as well be posted as digital art—it is impossible to know whether the design is actually good/functional/useful/clear because the context is removed.