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One of the most exciting things Microsoft announced at Build 2017 was the Fluent Design System (formerly codenamed Project Neon). Not because of the name, which is a bit clumsy, but rather the theory underlying Fluent Design. While the current look of Windows 10 carries many of the original "Metro" design principals, there has been a lack of structure for app developers. Gone was the strict mantra behind the Metro design language – the "content before chrome" that provided clear principals and goals. Instead, the design seemed ad hoc and inconsistent.

What the Fluent Design System is all about In listening to a few developer sessions at Build, I came away with the impression that Microsoft finally did some hard thinking on design. The Fluent Design System has real goals, a reason to exist and important guidelines that make the underlying principles of the system clear. Best VPN providers 2020: Learn about ExpressVPN, NordVPN & more

A slide shown during the "Introducing Fluent Design" session, lead by Microsoft's Principal Lead Program Manager Paul Gusmorino and Principal Director of Design Bojana Ostojic, suggests you can easily discern the point of the system. From that slide: With Fluent Design System, we are unlocking everyone's creativity by enabling immersive and multi-dimensional experiences that adapt and respond to multiple device and input types. There are also five main principals behind Fluent Design, including light, depth, motion, material, and scale. This shift is a significant change from the "flat" design found in Metro, to a more modern one that lets Microsoft create apps for a new world of varying computing experiences. What changed between 2010 and today is the rapid expansion of personal devices. Smartphones became pervasive, but we also saw the growth of devices without traditional displays, such as IoT gadgets, wearables, and mixed reality devices. Adding to the complexity are laptops, 2-in-1s, tablets, and large wall-mounted computers (the Surface Hub, for example).

Microsoft's Paul Gusmorino and Bojana Ostojic present Fluent Design to developers at Build 2017.