Simplified UI Illustration

A simplified UI theme is a creative approach where you take a screenshot of an application interface and reimagine it in a highly stylized, minimal, and visually clean way. The goal is to capture the essence and layout of the original UI, but strip away unnecessary details, textures, and realism, focusing on clarity, color, and basic structure.

Key Characteristics

• Flat Colors: Use solid, often vibrant colors without gradients or shadows.

• Minimal Detail: Remove text, icons, and intricate UI elements. Replace them with simple shapes and lines.

• Abstracted Elements: Represent complex UI parts (like avatars, buttons, or tables) as colored circles, rectangles, or lines.

• Consistent Spacing: Maintain the original layout’s proportions and spacing for recognizability.

• Clean Typography: If text is included, use basic, legible fonts and minimal words.

Process Overview

1. Screenshot the Application: Start with a screenshot of the real app interface.

2. Abstract the Layout: Break down the interface into its main sections and elements (sidebars, tables, avatars, etc.).

3. Replace with Shapes: Swap detailed components for basic geometric shapes—rectangles for content blocks, circles for avatars, lines for text.

4. Apply a Color Palette: Choose a harmonious color scheme, often with pastels or bold, flat colors.

5. Remove Noise: Eliminate shadows, gradients, and decorative details. Keep only what’s essential for recognition.

Example Breakdown

• In the first attached image, the original app’s sidebar, table, and icons are simplified into blocks of color and basic shapes, while still reflecting the structure of the UI1.

• In the second image, profile pictures become colored circles, and text is shown as colored lines, making the interface playful and easy to interpret at a glance2.

Use Cases

• Product mockups

• Marketing visuals

• Onboarding illustrations

• App walkthroughs

Inspiration

For more visual examples, see the [Simplified UI] tag on Dribbble, where designers showcase creative interpretations of real interfaces using this approach.

In summary: A simplified UI theme is a stylized, minimal version of an app’s interface, using color and shape to communicate layout and function, while removing all unnecessary details for a clean, modern look.