“…on retina displays, simple, pure, true designs like Letterpress have a bracing effect”

Jan 21, 2013 12:04 GMT  ·  By

There’s an ongoing discussion in the blogosphere that future iOS versions – with designer Jony Ive now in charge of Human Interface at Apple – will do away with skeuomorphism. John Gruber agrees.

While avoiding to name a specific iOS iteration when the faux textures will disappear into oblivion, Daring Fireball’s author notes, “The trend away from skeuomorphic special effects in UI design is the beginning of the retina-resolution design era. Our designs no longer need to accommodate for crude pixels.”

His recent blog entry was actually inspired by Dave Wiskus, who wrote a piece called “Apple and the Future of Design,” where Wiskus appropriately points out that “Apple’s hardware and software have taken […] divergent paths.”

Gruber picks on fonts and the print media to build his argument, stating, “…on retina displays, simple, pure, true designs like Letterpress have a bracing effect, like the first sip of an ice-cold beverage on a scorching hot day.”

Jonathan Ive, Apple’s chief industrial designer, is now responsible for both hardware and software aesthetics. Which is why most bets are on a completely revamped iOS 7 graphics-wise. WWDC 2013 should offer us a first glimpse of this illustrious change.