: Subtle vs bright GUI design - Is there inherent value in design subtlety beyond user preference? I've heard it said that a designer should almost always use subtle, simplistic style in the design

@Angie364

I think you mean muted (“subdued, softened”) rather than subtle (“so slight as to be difficult to detect or analyze”). A lot of Apple's designs are subtle without necessarily being muted.


What are some of the pros & cons of using subtle style for
user-interface design vs those of using bright, loud styling?


Off the top of my head . . .


You can look at a muted UI longer before visual fatigue sets in.
Muted and bold stylings have a different psychological impact; they send different messages. (Especially when you're talking about color.)
A muted UI gives you more ways to demand the users attention.


Also, I have to work harder to keep bright, loud styling from looking like a clown’s pants.

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@Shakeerah625

In my opinion, a designer should never always design anything in any way!

I've been designing professionally for a few years now, and every time I have designed a product it has been, first and foremost, to meet the requirements of the client - be it a website, app, email template or other interface.

If the client wants a subtle, flat interface (in line with iOS7, for example), then I will try to create something that meets that expectation without copying it from somewhere else; the same applies for a bright, flat interface like Windows 8.

Don't pay too much attention to 'fashion' - trends are so arbitrary that something considered 'fashionable' one day could be obsolete the next. It's unlikely, but for all we know the 'flat' style might be gone in a couple of years, and skeumorphics & gloss may end up coming back around...such is the roundabout nature of trends. They're fun to observe, but don't always join in!

I hope this helps.

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