Design, like fashion, swings between extremes. We've lived through skeuomorphism (realistic leather textures and page curls), flat design (eliminating all depth cues), and now we're settling into something more balanced and mature.

The flat design revolution of the 2010s was a necessary correction to the excesses of skeuomorphism, but it created its own problems. By removing visual affordances like shadows, gradients, and dimension, flat UIs often sacrificed usability for aesthetic purity.

The infamous iOS 7 release demonstrated these tradeoffs clearly: visually striking, but with usability issues stemming from invisible buttons, borderless text fields, and unclear interactive elements.

Today's most sophisticated interfaces blend flat design's graphic clarity with judicious use of depth and dimension. Google's Material Design pioneered this approach with its "digital paper" metaphor - using subtle shadows and layering to create hierarchy while maintaining visual simplicity.

Apple, too, has gradually reintroduced depth cues into iOS and macOS, with card interfaces, subtle shadows, and distinct buttons making a comeback.

This balanced approach recognizes that effective interfaces provide clear affordances - visual cues that communicate how something works. These don't require realistic 3D rendering, but they do need sufficient signifiers to guide users.

When crafting interfaces, focus on appropriate affordances rather than dogmatic style rules. If users struggle to identify interactive elements in usability testing, add subtle depth cues, borders, or background changes to improve clarity.

The future isn't flat or skeuomorphic - it's purposeful. Each visual choice should serve user understanding first, aesthetic preferences second.

The best designs aren't those that follow trends, but those that solve user problems clearly and beautifully.