There are two kinds of shadows that occur when a light shines on an object, a drop shadow and a form shadow. But there’s a lot to say about the way light affects the direction and color of shadows. We’ve already seen how the strength of light produces shadows at different depths. Now that we understand the relationship between light and shadows, we ought to dig in a little deeper to see how light affects shadows. Either way, you can see how light influences the visual perception of depth. Again, it’s is a design choice to employ this in your interface. In this case, light is still an influential factor, as it allows elements to either blend into the desktop, or even into other panels in the UI. You’ve certainly encountered Material Design’s aesthetics because Google employs it on nearly all of its products. Google’s Material Design design system is a good example of employing light and shadows effectively.

It controls the direction of a shadow as well as how deep or shallow the shadow appears. It’s impossible to talk about shadow without getting into light. Light and shadowsĪs we just saw, depth can enhance content. Using shadows and depth is a design choice they should support the theme and the message you want the content to convey. You can appreciate the differences between these approaches. The absence of depth and realism allows the bike to stand out on its own.

In this case, the bike itself is the focal point. Credit: Kate HahuĬompare that with this next example. It feels dynamic and immediate, which is perfect for the theme of adventure. Notice the embellished drop shadow of the cyclist and how it creates the perception that they are flying above not only the content on the page, but the page itself, as though they are “popping” over the screen. In web design, using light and shadow can add physical realism and can be used to make rich, tactile interfaces. Shadows add texture, perspective, and emphasize the dimensions of objects.

Drop shadow after effect direction