Design language

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A design language or design vocabulary is an overarching scheme or style that guides the design of a complement of products or architectural settings, creating a coherent design system for styling.

Contents

Objectives

Designers wishing to give their suite of products a unique but consistent appearance and user interface can define a specification for it. The specification can describe choices for design aspects such as materials, color schemes, shapes, patterns, textures, or layouts. They then follow the scheme in the design of each object in the suite. [1]

Usually, design languages are not rigorously defined; the designer basically makes one thing similarly as another. In other cases, they are followed strictly, so that the products gain a strong thematic quality. For example, although there is a great variety of unusual chess set designs, the pieces within a set are typically thematically consistent.

Sometimes, designers encourage others to follow their design languages when decorating or accessorizing.

Industrial design

Industrial design is the process of designing products for mass production. A design language can provide a range of products a similar style that sets it apart from competitors.

In automotive design, the design language often uses a signature grille design. For instance, many BMW vehicles share a design language, including front-end styling consisting of a split "kidney grille" and four circular headlights. [1] Some manufacturers have appropriated design language cues from rival firms. [2]

Examples

Apple used the Snow White design for its home computers in the 1980s, which used parallel stripes to give the impression that the enclosure was smaller than it actually was. [3] The Apple Industrial Design Group is responsible for the industrial design of all Apple products.

Cadillac introduced the Art and Science design philosophy in 2000, which emphasized sharp and crisp edges — what noted automotive journalist Dan Neil described as a "fractal geometric style." [4]

Ford used the New Edge design language in the 1990s and early 2000s, which combined intersecting arcs to create soft aerodynamic shapes. Later Ford used Kinetic Design that featured a large lower trapezoidal grill on many vehicles.

Mazda has used the Nagare design language, which used flowing lines influenced by wind. [5] Mazda later used the Kodo design language. [6]

Other examples include the Dynamic Shield design language used by Mitsubishi, [7] and Dynamic x Solid used by Subaru. [8]

Software

In software architecture, design languages are related to architecture description languages. The most well known design language is Unified Modeling Language.[ citation needed ]

In the context of graphical user interfaces, for example, human interface guidelines can be thought of as design languages for applications. [9]

Examples

Apple has created some software design languages. The Platinum design language was used for Mac OS 8 and 9 and emphasized various shades of gray. The Aqua design language was introduced with Mac OS X Jaguar and emphasized flatter interface elements and liberal use of reflection effects and transparency. [10] [11] Brushed metal, first used in 1999, was intended for programs such as QuickTime Player that mimic the operation or interface of common devices.

Microsoft has used the Aero design language for Windows Vista and Windows 7. The Aero design language used semitransparent glass like window borders as a distinctive feature. The Metro design language focused on simplified icons, absence of clutter and basic shapes. Metro was used in many Microsoft products including Windows 8, Windows Phone 7, the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. [12] [13] The Fluent Design System was developed as a revamp of Metro in 2017, and used more motion, depth and translucency effects. [14]

Google developed Material Design in 2014 which emphasizes smooth responsive animations and transitions, padding and depth using lighting and shadows. Many of Google's products have implemented Material Design including Android, Android applications and web applications. [15]

Flat design is a design language and style that simplifies elements and colours. [16] It has influenced user interface design in Microsoft's Zune, Android starting with Android 4.0, [17] iOS 7 [18] and OS X Yosemite. [19]

In 2021, the GNOME Project expanded its focus of Adwaita to allow it to prosper as a design language for GNOME. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graphical user interface</span> User interface allowing interaction through graphical icons and visual indicators

A graphical user interface, or GUI, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators such as secondary notation. In many applications, GUIs are used instead of text-based UIs, which are based on typed command labels or text navigation. GUIs were introduced in reaction to the perceived steep learning curve of command-line interfaces (CLIs), which require commands to be typed on a computer keyboard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the graphical user interface</span>

The history of the graphical user interface, understood as the use of graphic icons and a pointing device to control a computer, covers a five-decade span of incremental refinements, built on some constant core principles. Several vendors have created their own windowing systems based on independent code, but with basic elements in common that define the WIMP "window, icon, menu and pointing device" paradigm.

Microsoft Windows is a product line of proprietary graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and sub-families that cater to particular sectors of the computing industry – Windows (unqualified) for a consumer or corporate workstation, Windows Server for a server and Windows IoT for an embedded system. Defunct families include Windows 9x, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, and Windows Embedded Compact.

In computing, a desktop environment (DE) is an implementation of the desktop metaphor made of a bundle of programs running on top of a computer operating system that share a common graphical user interface (GUI), sometimes described as a graphical shell. The desktop environment was seen mostly on personal computers until the rise of mobile computing. Desktop GUIs help the user to easily access and edit files, while they usually do not provide access to all of the features found in the underlying operating system. Instead, the traditional command-line interface (CLI) is still used when full control over the operating system is required.

In computing, cross-platform software is computer software that is designed to work in several computing platforms. Some cross-platform software requires a separate build for each platform, but some can be directly run on any platform without special preparation, being written in an interpreted language or compiled to portable bytecode for which the interpreters or run-time packages are common or standard components of all supported platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aqua (user interface)</span> User interface of macOS by Apple

Aqua is the graphical user interface, design language and visual theme of Apple's macOS and iOS operating systems. It was originally based on the theme of water, with droplet-like components and a liberal use of reflection effects and translucency. Its goal is to "incorporate color, depth, translucence, and complex textures into a visually appealing interface" in macOS applications. At its introduction, Steve Jobs noted that "... it's liquid, one of the design goals was when you saw it you wanted to lick it".

Common User Access (CUA) is a standard for user interfaces to operating systems and computer programs. It was developed by IBM and first published in 1987 as part of their Systems Application Architecture. Used originally in the MVS/ESA, VM/CMS, OS/400, OS/2 and Microsoft Windows operating systems, parts of the CUA standard are now implemented in programs for other operating systems, including variants of Unix. It is also used by Java AWT and Swing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human interface guidelines</span> Software development documents

Human interface guidelines (HIG) are software development documents which offer application developers a set of recommendations. Their aim is to improve the experience for the users by making application interfaces more intuitive, learnable, and consistent. Most guides limit themselves to defining a common look and feel for applications in a particular desktop environment. The guides enumerate specific policies. Policies are genes sometimes based on studies of human–computer interaction, but most are based on conventions chosen by the platform developers preferences.

Icon design is the process of designing a graphic symbol that represents some real, fantasy or abstract motive, entity or action. In the context of software applications, an icon often represents a program, a function, data or a collection of data on a computer system.

Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a free and open-source user interface framework for Windows-based desktop applications. WPF applications are based in .NET, and are primarily developed using C# and XAML.

A voice-user interface (VUI) enables spoken human interaction with computers, using speech recognition to understand spoken commands and answer questions, and typically text to speech to play a reply. A voice command device is a device controlled with a voice user interface.

Mobile app development is the act or process by which a mobile app is developed for one or more mobile devices, which can include personal digital assistants (PDA), enterprise digital assistants (EDA), or mobile phones. Such software applications are specifically designed to run on mobile devices, taking numerous hardware constraints into consideration. Common constraints include CPU architecture and speeds, available memory (RAM), limited data storage capacities, and considerable variation in displays and input methods. These applications can be pre-installed on phones during manufacturing or delivered as web applications, using server-side or client-side processing to provide an "application-like" experience within a web browser.

A mobile operating system is an operating system used for smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, smartglasses, or other non-laptop personal mobile computing devices. While computers such as typical/mobile laptops are "mobile", the operating systems used on them are usually not considered mobile, as they were originally designed for desktop computers that historically did not have or need specific mobile features. This "fine line" distinguishing mobile and other forms has become blurred in recent years, due to the fact that newer devices have become smaller and more mobile, unlike the hardware of the past. Key notabilities blurring this line are the introduction of tablet computers, light laptops, and the hybridization of the two in 2-in-1 PCs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro (design language)</span> Design language introduced by Microsoft

Microsoft Design Language, previously known as Metro, is a design language created by Microsoft. This design language is focused on typography and simplified icons, absence of clutter, increased content to chrome ratio, and basic geometric shapes. Early examples of MDL principles can be found in Encarta 95 and MSN 2.0. The design language evolved in Windows Media Center and Zune and was formally introduced as Metro during the unveiling of Windows Phone 7. It has since been incorporated into several of the company's other products, including the Xbox 360 system software and the Xbox One system software, Windows 8, Windows Phone, and Outlook.com. Before the "Microsoft design language" title became official, Microsoft executive Qi Lu referred to it as the modern UI design language in his MIXX conference keynote speech. According to Microsoft, "Metro" has always been a codename and was never meant as a final product, but news websites attribute this change to trademark issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mono (software)</span> Computer software project

Mono is a free and open-source software framework that aims to run software made for the .NET Framework on Linux and other OSes. Originally by Ximian which was acquired by Novell, it was later developed by Xamarin which was acquired by Microsoft. In August 2024, Microsoft transferred ownership of Mono to WineHQ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pop-up notification</span> Graphical notification on a computer

The pop-up notification is a graphical control element that communicates certain events to the user without forcing them to react to this notification immediately, unlike conventional pop-up windows. Desktop notifications usually disappear automatically after a short amount of time. Often their content is then stored in some widget that allows the users to access past notifications at a more convenient time.

Flat design is a minimalist design language or design style commonly used in graphical user interfaces (GUI), and also in graphical materials such as posters, arts, guide documents and publishing products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Material Design</span> Design language developed by Google in 2014

Material Design is a design language developed by Google in 2014. Expanding on the "cards" that debuted in Google Now, Material Design uses more grid-based layouts, responsive animations and transitions, padding, and depth effects such as lighting and shadows. Google announced Material Design on June 25, 2014, at the 2014 Google I/O conference.

Comparison of user features of operating systems refers to a comparison of the general user features of major operating systems in a narrative format. It does not encompass a full exhaustive comparison or description of all technical details of all operating systems. It is a comparison of basic roles and the most prominent features. It also includes the most important features of the operating system's origins, historical development, and role.

References

  1. 1 2 Brunner, Robert; Emery, Stewart; Hall, Russ (2009). Do You Matter?: How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company. Pearson Education. pp. 157–72. ISBN   978-0-13-714244-6.
  2. ↑ "Car Design News Car Design Gallery on Form Language". Archived from the original on 2012-07-07. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
  3. ↑ Esslinger, Hartmut (10 September 2013). "Keep It Simple". designmind.frogdesign.com/. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  4. ↑ Dan Neil (April 7, 2002). "BEHIND THE WHEEL/2003 Cadillac CTS; Turning 100, Sparkling Like a Gem". pub.
  5. ↑ "Mazda Nagare design language - Car Body Design". www.carbodydesign.com. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  6. ↑ Patton, Phil (2011-05-20). "Mazda Designers Abandon Nagare, Embrace Kodo". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-12-22.
  7. ↑ "Explained: Mitsubishi's Dynamic Shield Design Philosophy". The News Wheel. 2016-07-20. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
  8. ↑ "DYNAMIC X SOLID: Subaru's Global Architecture Explained". The News Wheel. 2016-07-19. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
  9. ↑ Winograd, Terry (1996). "Bringing Design to Software". Stanford HCI Group. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "Developer documentation on Aqua".
  11. ↑ Apple PR (July 19, 2000). "Apple Introduces iMovie 2". Apple.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  12. ↑ Chang, Alexandra (8 August 2012). "Microsoft Doesn't Need a Name for Its User Interface". Wired . Condé Nast.
  13. ↑ Kruzeniski, Mike (11 April 2011). "How Print Design is the Future of Interaction". Kruzeniski.com. Self-published. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  14. ↑ "New Windows look and feel, Neon, is officially the "Microsoft Fluent Design System"". Ars Technica. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  15. ↑ "Material Design". Material Design. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
  16. ↑ Xavier Bertels (March 5, 2014). "The History of Flat Design". Xavier Bertels. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Exclusive: Matias Duarte on the philosophy of Android, and an in-depth look at Ice Cream Sandwich". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 2012-02-12. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  18. ↑ Pavlus, John (2013-06-10). "Why Jony Ive Is Flattening iOS 7". Fast Company. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  19. ↑ "OS X Yosemite unveiled at WWDC, features big UI overhaul". Ars Technica. June 2, 2014. Archived from the original on June 3, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  20. ↑ Plazas, Adrien (March 31, 2021). "Introducing Libadwaita" . Retrieved January 3, 2022.
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