Flat Design

From the point of view of the compositional solution, the choice is quite wide, because the flat style allows you to use both the traditional two- or three-column structure, and various modular grids in which information is placed in blocks. At the same time, the navigation bar can be placed not only at the top of the page, but also to the left and even below. It is important to remember that the minimalistic concept of this style dictates its requirements for the design of the site, which means that you should abandon the “volumetric” or animated buttons in the menu.

In a flat style, color palettes often combine not only various shades, but also contrasting colors. As a rule, two or three primary colors are chosen for the main palette, but in some cases the number of colors used can reach six to eight. Colors are bright, without shades and tones, although they often resort to the use of so-called “retro” colors such as beige, salmon, olive and the like.

In the matter of graphics, it is necessary to abandon any additional elements: shadows, bevels, reliefs, gradients and other tools that add depth. Each element, whether it be a picture or a button in the navigation panel, should have an absolutely flat, two-dimensional appearance, without the slightest hint of the 3D effect. However, in order to prevent the site from looking boring and primitive, large format photographs and even videos that are used as the background are widely used in this style.

If the tasks assigned to the site do not involve the use of photographs, various interesting fonts will help to add character and make the page more interesting. However, it is important to remember that fonts must conform to the overall layout of the page. So, too artsy font will look at least strange against the background of an ultra-simple style. On the other hand, fonts can be bold and at the same time simple and readable. For example, for text, you can use a simple sans-serif font, and for the title, a handwritten font, which in this case will be perceived as an art element.

By the way, there is also the concept of “almost flat style”, in which, along with the use of minimalistic elements and two-dimensional space, several techniques are used that create perspective and depth of volume. For example, with a “flat” navigation menu and text, a picture with a pronounced perspective is selected as the background photo.

Since the flat style allows you to harmoniously place accents on the various components of the page, it is perfect for both online stores and information portals or corporate sites. For example, online stores or catalog sites can use a flat style to focus visitors on products by placing photos on a simple, non-distracting background. Thus, among the customers of pages in this style you can find representatives of creative companies, as well as quite serious online stores and large corporations.