Yosemite

Yosemite is the name of the latest revision of Mac OS. I'm a Mac user. I'm not an iphone or ipad user and this is relevant. Since Apple makes both and had a signature, very detailed look to their products, a photo-realistic look, ios7 was a big change from its predecessor. Some people welcomed it and others didn't. The heavily 3-D, very detailed look changed to a more popular, in-style "flat" look that relied more on colors but seemed way less detailed.

But, there's something that I didn't realize. I didn't actively spend time using ios7 so I had no experience to draw on. The new version of MacOS uses the same approach and very closely resembles ios7. It isn't exactly the same, but close. But the real thing that I got from this change is that it adds something new to the experience that I enjoy very much.

In a word, translucency. I thought I'd miss the very detailed "skeuomorphic" elements of the previous system. These have been used for years and were familiar, but I thought it helped distinguish Apple's look from others. I thought looking at ios7 it closely related others and Apple was losing some of its uniqueness. But, upgrading to Yosemite, I discovered Apple approached visual dimension differently.

The previous way was with beveling and 3D effects. Now, Apple uses color as high contrast and translucence to diffuse colors behind menus and some interface elements. This makes for a somewhat unpredictable result because backgrounds can change. The new colors are more vibrant, the icons or interface elements seem to rest on strips that are influenced by what's behind them. The elements pop somewhat more. Now, that being said, the placement of things are pretty similar, and the experience feels the same, just "modernized". I like the changes. And I also understand how Apple integrates their ios platform with the Mac platform, giving them an Apple identity but the ios is in a different format than the computer.

So, I'm wondering as time goes on, what can I do to my own site that may reflect some common trends, but use it in a way that keeps my identity. I don't know. If my theme updates, I may go with that. I may go with a related theme one day that seems more updated. I may add in some extensions that enhance the experience as long as none of this distracts from the message of the site. And there's mobile considerations. A lot of people will use their mobile devices when visiting our sites, so perhaps it is wise to look at our sites on many types of devices that include desktop, ios, andriod and if something else pops up that is popular.

Ben