Infamous Drop Shadows

It is probably the most overused graphic technique ever because it is not only easy to implement but also provides a vivid 3-D impression of depth especially when used correctly. The power of drop shadows lies in the very nature of human visual perception system. Although it is totally a 2-D effect it nevertheless almost always results in vivid 3-D perception. It's sometimes really difficult to distinguish the real drop shadows from the fake 2-D ones because our visual system is extra-sensitive to this visual cue among other 2-D cues such as perspective.

Probably the most frequent mistake designers make in using drop shadows is using different angles of light in the same image. Fortunately starting with the 5th version, Photoshop started to offer dynamic layer effects including drop shadows and also a feature called "global angle" to help designers not to forget to use the same angle of light.

The second most frequent mistake is the tendency to use gray shadows on non-white backgrounds. The shadows on a white background are gray because white looks gray when illumination is low. So, a shadow on a yellow background must look like brownish dark yellow, not gray.

Bevels Everywhere

Inner bevels and recently other kinds of bevels (thanks to Photoshop 5.0+) have been heavily used in the graphic design of a large number of web pages. Why are bevels so popular? The answer is very similar to the one I offered for drop shadows: Bevels are easy to implement if you have Photoshop 5.0 or above, and they also provide an impressive illusion of depth again if used correctly. The reason why we perceive a 2-D image containing beveled elements as 3-D is that brain assumes light comes above (since sun light never comes from below), that is highlights should be at the top and shadows at the bottom. So, proper shading of objects result in 3-D perception.

Scan Lines, the Most Recent Craze

Scan lines have been heavily used recently, and the use of the now infamous effect seems to increase in light speed. What makes scan lines so popular among designers? I don't have a scientific answer for this. But my idea is that putting scan lines is the easiest way to add detail over an existing design. If your design looks flat, first try drop-shadows. Does it look better? No, then try inner bevel. Does it look better? No. Ah then try scan lines. Maybe it looks better this time. Scan lines also renders small mistakes invisible by virtually increasing resolution -- so all those blocky curves will start to look better. The only problem of using scan lines is that they decrease the saturation of the colors. But if you don't overuse the effect they often add to the value of the design.

Note: Images added after reader feedback.

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