And Yet a Trace of the True Self Exists in the False Self: Skeuomorphism in Graphic Design
Skeuomorphism 101
You’ve definitely seen skeuomorphic design everywhere; a popular example being iOS6’s app icons. Skeuomorphic design mimics the appearance of the analogue, regardless of the practical function (which may no longer be served by those particular characteristics). Beyond the “Y2K Frutiger Aero” vibes of it, skeuomorphism can be quite effective in providing cues for the user; the trash bin icon tells you that you can dispose of your files there, the manila folder icon tells you that you there might be files in the folder. I would say, these are examples of skeuomorphism that do its job well; relying on the user’s prior knowledge and a little bit of witty visual language to tell you, ”Throw away your computer files in this computer bin, just like in real life where you would throw away your real files in this real bin.”
However…
Skeuomorphism doesn’t always have to serve a grand purpose of letting users know that X means Y. Have you seen typefaces like this or this lately? The little grooves in the corners and nooks of the letterforms are called ink traps and they were originally designed to mitigate ink pooling when text was printed on paper. With the prevalence of digital screens, ink traps don’t serve the same purpose on screens as they do on paper, yet contemporary design takes this tiny feature of printed type and shines a light on it. In my opinion, ink trap typefaces are an example of skeuomorphism in graphic design done right. Ink traps now are mostly seen as a cute little feature that makes fonts look cool, and honestly, I feel like that’s more than a good enough reason to like them. It just looks cool (in my opinion).
Baudrillard (in Simulacra and Simulation) argues that a simulacrum is not a copy, but its own thing. This is true of all things mimicking other things, though I believe this is particularly true of ink trap typefaces. The purpose of ink traps has become so far removed from the original intention, that it’s sort of become its own trendy little thing. You’ll easily see instances of Dinamo’s Whyte used as big display text for digital posts; ink traps aren’t just something to make sure your printed letters don’t pool. They’re an intentional design feature, helping typefaces hold their own unique identity.
Another example is also something simple like overlaying a paper texture on a shitty poster design you made to make it look legit and printed. It’s not like you’re going to print it out, and even if you did it’ll probably look really smooth. It’s just a little visual cue to let viewers know, ”Hey, this is supposed to be printed but Officeworks was closed and printers are too expensive. And the texture looks cool. So just pretend, OK?”
But…
Regardless, there’s still examples of skeuomorphic graphic design that I DON’T like. Drawing from my previous paper texture example, there was an instance where I was asked to make some magazine spreads designed for print. Anyways, I did that. Then I was asked to overlay a paper texture over it.
Why tho? It’s still gonna be printed on paper anyways. Do you not know that paper texture comes from PAPER??
It felt like a pointless addition to me. It kind of reminds me of those attachable wires that you can put on your AirPods. If only those wires were pre-built into the device… Too bad nobody thought to do that…
My point is, when skeuomorphic design is ACTUALLY pointless, then I think it’s shit. But also, skeuomorphic design can still be pointless and look cool. I think it’s about intention. Ink trap typefaces are successful in the way it utilises skeuomorphism to construct its own identity and personality that is so far removed from the original intention of ink traps. It’s such a cool way to divorce yourself from the past while staying connected at the same time, serving as nothing more than a cool-looking homage to print design. Conversely, I find overlaying designs intended for print with a paper texture to be quite counter-intuitive and tacky.
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P.S. I know I could have advocated for my criticism a little better. Should I come back to this article, I’d love to elaborate more on examples of skeuomorphic design that I dislike, along with my personal anecdote. This is all just a little brain rambling on the spot.