As the digital world ditches textured skeuomorphic design in favour of simpler, flatter and more transparent aesthetics (just look at Apple’s recent operating system redesign), an anti-aesthetic of heavily textured patterns and high-relief surfaces is emerging, stemming from glitch aesthetics, digital trickery and the tactility of real-world objects.
A blend of high-relief tactile finishes, flecked or concentrically layered materials, and printed surfaces that emulate 3D textures is apparent in ceramics, furniture and homeware, and fashion. Comic absurdity results in exaggerated forms, and visual trickery such as trompe l’oeil creates the illusion of 3D texture even when there is none.
