Microsoft is overhauling the illustrations it makes use of all through its services and products to make them much less flat and extra playful and attention-grabbing. The earlier iteration of illustrations was closely vector-based, with a flat illustration fashion that may be discovered all through apps like Microsoft Groups, Skype, Workplace, and even components of Home windows. Now, Microsoft is shifting in the direction of 3D designs that deliver again skeuomorphism, along with extra colourful and playful designs.
“Our research confirmed that whereas our illustrations might be described as colourful, inclusive, and genial on a floor stage, they have been obtained inside client tradition as uninteresting and impassive,” explains the Microsoft Design staff in a weblog publish outlining the brand new illustrations. “The flat vectorized fashion that was as soon as massively well-liked throughout the business was now speaking sub-optimally and doubtlessly evoking concepts and themes that have been misaligned with our firm values.”
Microsoft has now overhauled its illustrations with a method that’s “designed to simplify and unify our merchandise with a definite Microsoft aesthetic.” The result’s the combination of much more shapes and symbols from Microsoft’s Fluent design language, with a extra saturated shade palette.
The 3D illustrations are much more expressive and playful than the flat and desaturated fashion that Microsoft has been utilizing in recent times, with a deal with gentle contours and extra curves, shapes, and components that mirror the pure world.
Microsoft’s new illustrations also needs to higher complement accompanying textual content. “Our earlier illustrations usually duplicated accompanying written copy, creating pointless psychological pressure and occasional confusion,” says Microsoft’s design staff. “Being extra intentional with how our illustrations harmonized with different components inside the person’s expertise might assist alleviate this.”
Microsoft is now utilizing extra general-purpose illustrations throughout completely different apps, so there are fewer bespoke illustrations that used to make its merchandise appear and feel completely different. “We additionally leveraged our Fluent iconography to repeat, reuse, and re-purpose a sequence of linked objects,” says Microsoft.
The problem for Microsoft now can be updating its illustrations throughout all of its services and products within the months forward. Microsoft continues to evolve its iconography, illustrations, and general Fluent design system usually, so count on to see even these newest illustrations refined once more sooner or later.
