Gild Just One Lily

Summary

“Gilding the lily” isn’t always bad. In design, a touch of metaphorical gold — a subtle animated transition, a hint of color, or added depth in a drop shadow — can help communicate a level of care and attention that builds trust. But first? You need a lily. Nail the fundamentals. Then, gild it carefully.The phrase “gild the lily” implies unnecessary ornamentation, the idea being that adorning a lily with superficial decoration only serves to obscure its natural beauty. Well, I’m here to tell you that a little touch of what might seem like unnecessary ornamentation in design is exactly what you need.When your design is solid, and you’ve nailed the fundamentals, adding one layer of decoration can help communicate a level of care and attention.First, You Need A LilyLet’s break down the “gild the lily” metaphor. First, you need a lily. Lilies are naturally beautiful, and each is unique. They don’t need further decoration. To play in this metaphor, let’s assume your design is already great. If not, you don’t have a lily. Get back to work on the fundamentals and check back in later (or keep reading anyhow).Now that you’ve got a lily, let’s talk gilding. To “gild” is to cover it with a thin layer of gold. We’re not talking about the inner beauty baked into the very soul of your product (that’s the lily part of the metaphor). A touch of metaphorical gold foil on the surface can send a message of delight with a hint of decadence.This gilding might come in the form of a subtle, animated transition or through a hint of colour and added depth in a drop shadow. Before we get into specifics, let’s make sure our metaphor doesn’t carry us too far.Gild SparinglyIf we go too far with our gilding, we can communicate indulgence and excess rather than a hint of decadence.An over-the-top design can be particularly irritating, depending on the state of mind of the person you’re designing for. For example, a flashy animation bragging about your new AI chat feature may not sit so well with ...