Cool 2.0
Just like when your mom and dad started saying “bling”, the recent announcement that the upcoming Microsoft Office 2007 would include the ubiquitous web 2.0 trend of of reflected graphics as a built-in effect should effectively remove any cool factor that remains. A recent post on the The PowerPoint & OfficeArt Team Blog showcased that Office 2007 would allow anyone to include this “nice looking and also very trendy” effect in their Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and *sigh* Outlook email messages.
For those firmly stuck in Web 1.0 the reflections graphical gimmick as a fad is in full-effect. This simple graphical effect gives text and images the appearance of sitting on a shiny surface as often seen in high-end studio product photography (see Apple). The treatment is so common that is has become a stereotypical part of the “Web 2.0″ look as hundreds of websites feature reflected logos, headlines, and graphics.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used it myself. But I think many of us feel this effect is over-used and as a trend has more or less run its course. I suspect that when our bosses and the guys in HR start whipping-out PowerPoint presentations littered with this effect, we can pretty much take it out of our designer’s toolboxes and send it to the bin along with past favorites such as bevel, drop-shadow, 45-degree corners and lines, comic sans, and of course the amazing lens flare. RIP.