UX/UI Design Tips: Shadows

UX/UI Design Tips: Shadows

As an agency for UI/UX design and product development in Munich and Barcelona, we have gained a lot of experience from various projects over the years. We would like to share some of our insights with you. In this article we are taking a closer look at product design and the creation of shadows.

Table of content

  • Why UI/UX design is important
  • Simple tricks to elevate your designs
  • Practice makes perfect

The design of a product is crucial for its success

Especially when it comes to digital products, the interface and the experience are crucial for success on the market. Because no one wants to use an app that they don't understand and the user stories are not clear. This is where the UI/UX designers enter the game at the latest. Designing user-friendly, intuitive and at the same time, beautiful products requires not only pixel perfection and time but also a good amount of experience. When you have implemented a bunch of projects, this experience comes naturally.

Simple tricks to elevate your designs

That's why we would like to give you tips that will help you take your designs to the next level. In this article, we have compiled easy-to-implement tips that will not only improve your designs today with little effort but also give you practical tips for your next project.

Add shadows to create perspectives

Our first tip is about shadows! Adding shadows helps to create dimension. Remember: the darker the shadow of an object, the closer it appears to be. Simple- right? A more advanced tip is to make shadows look soft. You can lower the opacity and set a higher level of blur to get that look. This technique helps to blend the shadow with the object and give the design a more cohesive look.

Your shadows should be natural.

We have already learned that shadows are important to create contrast and plasticity. It is important to note that shadows should always come from one light source to appear natural. So, for example, always from above. Keep that in mind when adding awesome shadows to your elements. To step up your shadow skills, try to add a subtle color (maybe the tone of your natural UI color). This will help you achieve an overall polished look.

Practice, practice, practice!

No one has become a UI/UX design professional overnight. What we can tell you is: Practice makes perfect! We recently hosted an event on the topic "How to become a good designer. A leaders perspective". We invited great senior designers from Personio, Ottonova, and ZeroToDesign. Together we talked about hiring, portfolios, etc. You can still watch the talk here.