A lot of designers have been talking about skeuomorphic and flat design this past year mainly because its one of two popular techniques that designers have taken to using. Skeuomorphic design is characterized by using elements that were classified as functional in their physical/analog form, whereas the same element is used completely for aesthetics in its digital form. This type of design is characterized as being familiar by the user and can be effective in using "comfort level" to generate a successful design. The company who pioneered skeuomorphic use was Apple. It can be seen in their apps and UI designs that they push the skeuomorphic technique more than anyone else. A direct example of this would be Apple's iCal app. This particular app has leather texturing, stitching and ripped pages, and directly illustrates the skeuomorphic design.
I believe that when looking at these two different design philosophies, you cannot say one is better or worse than the other, rather only which one is better implemented or which fits the user experience the best. Making this into a beauty contest of which constitutes better design shouldn't be an issue, because it is possible to have both designs work for the same purpose. They may not make the best user experience but design wise it could work. Personal bias also can get in the way and I myself and not immune and find myself leaning towards the flat design, however it should never limit how you think about a design or its execution. So keep an open mind about both types of design and don't limit yourself by writing off one or the other.
Apple: iCal
Flat design has been gaining popularity within the design community and with the new release of windows 8 it has been given a large push by Microsoft. Flat design is characterized by having clear symbolism with very simple colors, which gives it a very 2-dimensional look and feel. Unlike the skeuomorphic way this technique seeks to discard excess design baggage and just leaves that bare minimum. Meaning it translates often into a very modern looking design that compliments technology such as smartphones and tablets. I believe that this sparse and modern design philosophy may be a reaction to the skeuomorphic designs as of late, and will most likely grow in popularity. I'm eager to see what other designers can do with this design philosophy and hope to see more of this in the future.
Microsoft: Windows 8
I believe that when looking at these two different design philosophies, you cannot say one is better or worse than the other, rather only which one is better implemented or which fits the user experience the best. Making this into a beauty contest of which constitutes better design shouldn't be an issue, because it is possible to have both designs work for the same purpose. They may not make the best user experience but design wise it could work. Personal bias also can get in the way and I myself and not immune and find myself leaning towards the flat design, however it should never limit how you think about a design or its execution. So keep an open mind about both types of design and don't limit yourself by writing off one or the other.
