Microsoft’s new Fluent illustrations are more 3D and playful

Microsoft is overhauling the illustrations it uses throughout its products and services to make them less flat and more playful and interesting. The previous iteration of illustrations was heavily vector-based, with a flat illustration style that can be found throughout apps like Microsoft Teams, Skype, Office, and even parts of Windows. Now, Microsoft is shifting towards 3D designs that bring back skeuomorphism, together with more colorful and playful designs.

“Our studies showed that while our illustrations could be described as colorful, inclusive, and genial on a surface level, they were received within consumer culture as uninteresting and emotionless,” explains the Microsoft Design team in a blog post outlining the new...

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