Adesign language ordesign vocabulary is an overarching scheme or style that guides the design of a complement of products or architectural settings, creating a coherentdesign system for styling.
Designers wishing to give their suite of products a unique but consistent appearance anduser interface can define a specification for it. The specification can describe choices for design aspects such as materials, color schemes, shapes, patterns, textures, or layouts. They then follow the scheme in thedesign of each object in the suite.[1]
Usually, design languages are not rigorously defined; the designer basically makes one thing similarly as another. In other cases, they are followed strictly, so that the products gain a strong thematic quality. For example, although there is a great variety of unusualchess set designs, the pieces within a set are typically thematically consistent.
Sometimes, designers encourage others to follow their design languages when decorating or accessorizing.
Industrial design is the process of designing products for mass production. A design language can provide a range of products a similar style that sets it apart from competitors.
Inautomotive design, the design language often uses a signaturegrille design. For instance, manyBMW vehicles share a design language, including front-end styling consisting of a split "kidney grille" and four circular headlights.[1] Some manufacturers have appropriated design language cues from rival firms.[2]
In the 1980s,Memphis design became widely popular.[3]
Apple used theSnow White design for its home computers in the 1980s, which used parallel stripes to give the impression that the enclosure was smaller than it actually was.[4] TheApple Industrial Design Group is responsible for the industrial design of all Apple products.
Cadillac introduced theArt and Science design philosophy in 2000, which emphasized sharp and crisp edges — what noted automotive journalistDan Neil described as a "fractal geometric style."[5]
Ford used theNew Edge design language in the 1990s and early 2000s, which combined intersecting arcs to create soft aerodynamic shapes. Later Ford usedKinetic Design that featured a large lower trapezoidal grill on many vehicles.
Mazda has used theNagare design language, which used flowing lines influenced by wind.[6] Mazda later used the Kodo design language.[7]
Other examples include the Dynamic Shield design language used byMitsubishi,[8] and Dynamic x Solid used bySubaru.[9]
In the context ofgraphical user interfaces, for example,human interface guidelines can be thought of as design languages for applications.[10]
Apple has created some software design languages. Since 1997, thePlatinum design language was used forMac OS 8 and9 and emphasized various shades of gray. From 2000 onwards, theAqua design language was introduced withMac OS X 10.0 and emphasized flatter interface elements and liberal use of reflection effects and transparency.[11][12]Brushed metal, first used in 1999, was intended for programs such asQuickTime Player that mimic the operation or interface of common devices. In June 2025 duringWWDC 2025, Apple introduced a new unified design language known asLiquid Glass across Apple platforms featuring optical properties of glass with a sense of fluidity.[13]
Microsoft has used theAero design language forWindows Vista andWindows 7 which appeared in 2006. The Aero design language used semitransparent glass like window borders as a distinctive feature. TheMetro design language focused on simplified icons, absence of clutter and basic shapes. Metro was used in many Microsoft products includingWindows 8,Windows Phone 7, theXbox 360 andXbox One.[14][15] TheFluent Design System was developed as a revamp of Metro in 2017, and used more motion, depth and translucency effects.[16]
Google developedMaterial Design in 2014 which emphasizes smooth responsive animations and transitions, padding and depth using lighting and shadows. Many of Google's products have implemented Material Design including Android, Android applications and web applications.[17]
Flat design is a design language and style that simplifies elements and colours.[18] It has influenced user interface design in Microsoft'sZune,Android starting withAndroid 4.0,[19]iOS 7[20] andOS X Yosemite.[21]
In 2021, theGNOME Project expanded its focus ofAdwaita to allow it to prosper as a design language forGNOME.[22]