The future of design is diamorphic

Alright, it’s time.

2025 is shaping up to be the year that design shifts from flat to dimensional.

I remember when Jony Ive ushered in the era of flat design. It was exciting, new, and I was all in—especially because it meant the horrible Apple Notes app would get rid of their ghastly yellow with stitching.

iOS 7’s shift toward iconless flat buttons was massive. It was the thing designers talked about that summer.

AirBnB is making massive moves toward dimensional design. Just go take a look at the icons on their navigation. They are adorable.

And, frankly, they remind me of why I got into design in the first place. So much of my earlier career involved meticulously crafting beautiful illustrations. I poured over gradients, lighting, dimensions, and even wrestled with Illustrator’s mesh tool.

Once 2013 hit that all went out the window—well mostly. I kept doing it to some extent, but it wasn’t in vogue.

I’m all in for embracing a time where icons can become beautiful and rich and colorful.

I’ve never liked the word skeuomorphism. A skeuomorph is when something digital borrows the concept of something physical—like a trash can icon that looks like a real bin, or a book app that flips pages like paper. But over time, skeuomorphic became a catch-all for any design with depth, texture, or lighting—and that’s a mistake. A bin icon, even as a flat glyph, is still a skeuomorph. It’s metaphor, not material.

I’ve been looking for a better word.

Something that captures the dimensionality we’re beginning to see.

Lately, I’ve been using the word Diamorph.

Via Flareup

Not sure if this word will stick, but I’m happy to use it.

If Apple releases dimensional icons at WWDC I’ll be the first to celebrate.

The only question I’m wondering now is whether designers will be able to brush up their skills as illustrators, or whether AI will just pick up the slack.