Holo, also known as Dark Skeuomorphism, is a device theme and Skeuomorphism sub-aesthetic. It was developed by Google in Android versions 3.0 to 4.4 (four separate releases) and was used from 2011-2014. It was used in Honeycomb (2011), Ice Cream Sandwich (2011), Jelly Bean (2012), and KitKat (2013). Holo is a subgenre to and very similar to Skeuomorphism due to it's use of depth, texture, shading, and pseudo-3D imagery that attempts to mimic real world objects. This version of Skeuomorphism, however, is more watered down and flatter. Holo's backgrounds can be described as dark, simplistic yet calming due to its "cold" color palette; the most common colors are black, blue, indigo, violet, cyan, and purple. This is normally complimented with see-through abstract patterns or graphical effects.
Visuals[]
Holo is a subgenre to and very similar to Skeuomorphism due to its use of depth, texture, shading, and pseudo-3D imagery that attempt to mimic real world objects. Holo's backgrounds can be described as dark, simplistic yet calming due to its "cold" color palette; the most common colors are black, blue, indigo, violet, cyan, and purple. This is normally complimented with see-through abstract patterns or graphical effects. These backgrounds are usually contrasted by colorful icons and graphics that feature Skeuomorphism. This version of Skeuomorphism, however, is more watered down and flatter. Due to this, it is often compared to other UI/UX design trend and aesthetics such as Flat Metro (a Frutiger Metro subgenre), and Skeuoflatism (a Skeuomorphism subgenre)
History[]
Holo's usage began with Android Honeycomb on February 22, 2011 as the successor and response to criticisms of Android's previous skeuomorphic, "clunky" and outdated designs. Due to this, it featured flatter visuals than usual Skeuomorphism in an attempt to achieve a more modern look. Holo continued to be used between February 2011 to November 2014 as a part of Honeycomb (2011), Ice Cream Sandwich (2011), Jelly Bean (2012), and KitKat (2013). On 4 November, 2014, Android 5.0 "Lollipop" was released, featuring Google's "Material Design" device theme, instead of the Holo theme due to Flat Design's increasing popularity, and design trends such as Skeuomorphism and Frutiger Aero falling out of mainstream usage. The final release of Android KitKat was on July 7th, 2014, 4 months before Lollipop's release.
Resources[]
https://www.reddit.com/r/holodesign
Media[]
Technology[]
- Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" (2011)
- Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" (2011)
- Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" (2012)
- Android 4.4 "KitKat" (2013)
Gallery[]
