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Design trends come and go, and just a fraction sticks around longer than others. Flat design and its more popular successor, Material design, have been dominating the web UI for quite some time, featuring a minimalistic aesthetic that eliminates visual clutter and favors user experience.
This approach is very utilitarian at its core as it eliminates most decorative elements and features, leaving room only for subtle shadows and gradients to achieve some visual depth and add a floating effect for elements that should sit on top of others. Visual hierarchy is usually achieved by using color and typography to make the specific elements more prominent.
Skeuomorphism And Flat Design