[egypturnash]

The only alternative to flat design that will not get you mocked is ironic Geocities aesthetic. Designing something with accents that feel solid and dimensional yet balanced and thougtful is right out, and will probably be sneered at by other “designers”, unless you are designing a video game UI.

Whether or not end users will welcome this is an open question. Everything is boring and flat now, usually on a glaring white background, and maybe that means the field is ripe for a change. Personally I’m beginning to miss all the design accents that aggressive minimalists deride as “skeuomorphic”.