### Update: I regret to say that Victor, the host of the Subjective podcast, has decided to take both his show and archives offline, so this recording is no longer available for listening. You're welcome to check out my [interview](http://www.elischiff.com/blog/2015/5/11/on-the-grid-podcast-falling-flat-interview) with the On the Grid podcast that was recorded shortly after this interview on the Subjective podcast.

Passions were ignited with the release of Squarespace Logo, a tool that enables small businesses to easily design a logo with a simple drag-and-drop interface. This was echoed when Tailor Brands built a competing tool for making free logos. Many were similarly concerned upon the announcement of The Grid, a tool that is purported to automate web layouts and designs.

In the early 2010s, the design industry became increasingly aware that designing both web and native applications would require more effort than it had previously. It is argued that before one could achieve market success with a one size fits all desktop or mobile application or website. Designers today are compelled to adapt their designs to multiple display sizes. It is not just traditional laptops and desktops that need to be taken into account, but also TVs, smart watches and even car dashboards.

The most interesting phenomenon emerging from recent trends is not the silence of developers in the face of conflicting interests with operating system makers. Developers should be expected to bend towards the present incentive structure. What has been surprising is the response of designers, particularly visual designers: their eagerness to follow the trend toward flatness. A trend that ultimately goes against their interests. Even those few who have criticized flat design (who have rarely been rigorous in their critiques) generally bought the operating system makers' line of thought that UI design needed a radical rethinking. These visual designers lacked conviction in the integrity of their craft's history.

In June of 2001, on the release of the first guidelines for OS X Aqua icon design, Corey Marion of the Iconfactory and Alan Graham of Mac DevCenter were interviewed by O’Reilly. The interviewer recalled from WWDC: "Apple stressed the importance of building high quality icons for OS X...They recommend that engineers hire graphic designers to handle their UI and icon design."

The Biggest Mistake Developers Could Make

The interviewer then asked Marion "What's the biggest mistake you see developers make?" Marion responded: "Starting too late in the process so there is not time to develop icons and obviously not hiring designers to do the UI design."