A DESIGN STYLE WHERE DIGITAL OBJECTS MIMIC THEIR REAL-WORLD COUNTERPARTS.
The word ‘skeuomorph’ comes from the Greek skeuos (container or tool) and morphē (form).
It describes a design practice dating back to 1500 BC, when Bronze Age artisans made clay pots with faux metal rivets to mimic earlier bronze work.
In the digital age, skeuomorphism helped users feel at home in new interfaces: calendars with torn paper edges, buttons with shadows, or note apps that looked like yellow legal pads.
Apple’s early iOS designs were full of it, thanks partly to Steve Jobs' belief in familiarity-driven design.
Eventually, minimalism took over, but skeuomorphism never really disappeared.
It's still hiding in toggles that flip, folders that "open," and interfaces that pretend to have weight.
