Divided opinion: ‘Hidden’ symbol you see every day on your computer
Ever heard of a ‘skeuomorph’? Even if you don’t know what that word means, you would see examples of it every day.
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Ever heard of a skeuomorph?
Design in the digital age has become a controversial topic, with the rise of skeuomorphism dividing opinions. Skeuomorphism is a design principle where new objects take on the appearance of the old, even when it is no longer necessary.
The Cultural Tutor, in a recent Twitter thread, explores this concept and its implications in the digital age.
The account claims the word “skeuomorph” was first used by archaeologist H. Colley March in 1889, when he noticed that some ancient artefacts retained design features from older objects, even though they were no longer necessary.
The best example of skeuomorphism from ancient times is classical architecture, where Greek temples built from stone still adopted the forms of old wooden buildings, such as the triglyphs representing the ends of wooden beams.
Skeuomorphs are prevalent in the digital age, with the save icon being a floppy disk and phone cameras making a clicking sound, despite not having mechanical shutters. Logos of email providers, such as Gmail, imitate the appearance of an envelope despite no paper or postage being involved.
“Have you ever noticed that the save icon is a floppy disk, even though they became obsolete twenty years ago?” The Cultural Tutor pointed out.
“Another example is phone cameras. Even though they don’t have mechanical shutters, they make a clicking sound like physical cameras do. And the (iPhone) phone icon itself looks like an old corded telephone.”
Have you ever noticed that the save icon is a floppy disk, even though they became obsolete twenty years ago?
— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) February 6, 2023
That's called a "skeuomorph" - when something new takes on the appearance of what it replaced.
And once you start to look, they're everywhere... pic.twitter.com/Hdkpr0Jp5w
“Or, say, the Instagram logo. Over the years it has been gradually simplified, but still directly recalls the appearance of an old-fashioned film camera.”
According to H. Colley March, skeuomorphs are about expectancy.
Familiarity makes new technology easy to understand, such as the camera icon that looks like an old-fashioned camera or the battery icon that resembles a physical battery.
However, this also brings about restriction, as digital keyboards make sounds and digital notes look like bound paper, restricting design freedom.
The account said the trend has begun to move away from skeuomorphism and towards more minimalist, simplified, and purely digital design.
Older iPhone operating systems were more skeuomorphic than they are now, and Gmail has gone from the image of an envelope to something more abstract.
The Instagram logo has changed from a literal design to a cleaner and simpler design.
However, many people have never used the objects that these skeuomorphs imitate, such as corded telephones and floppy disks.
The account argues these are things from the past shaping the appearance of the present and the future, leading to differing opinions on skeuomorphism.
The Cultural Tutor, in their Twitter thread, concludes by saying, “And so skeuomorphs divide opinion. Are they an effective model and a natural progression from the physical to the digital? Or should digital design be unshackled from past expectations and more free to innovate?”
Originally published as Divided opinion: ‘Hidden’ symbol you see every day on your computer
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