Remember this guy?
How about this guy?
I know you remember this guy.
What do they all have in common? They sported a mullet at one time or another. Now they don’t.
Why did mullets fall out of fashion? You might as well ponder the extinction of the zoot suit. I mean, those things were badass. Even Tom wore one. If I had an excuse to wear a zoot suit for just one occasion, I would. If I wasn’t bald, I would totally grow a mullet just for kicks.
But these would be novelties, worn for the sake of getting a reaction. If I wore a mullet as my regular hairstyle, I would have to be prepared for people filing me in a certain category whether I like it or not. It’s just how people work.
And it’s the same category-filing that occurs when a viewer comes to a web site and sees Comic Sans or heavy drop shadows. In an instant, any genius content is entangled in a mullet. The design looks dated, so before one word is read (if any), the content is filed and pre-judged as dated.
Drop Shadow Kills Image: News at 9
Is there some kind of Design Rule about using drop shadows? Hmm. There are lots of opinions, yes. As for some sort of legislation working its way through Congress, I could not find any.
So how do I know drop shadows are bad? Who am I to say? Am I the Drop Shadow Police?
Listen, go ahead. Use drop shadows. Make ‘em extra dark. Spread that shadow blur out so your image magically floats upon your web site and viewers are totally baffled by your briliance. How did he get his blog title to float in front of my screen like that? That’s amazing. It’s like I can just reach out and grab – OW!
Way back before the reverse mullet, I was Grand Lord of Drop Shadow. My Geocities site was festooned with floating buttons and headlines. My friends envied my drop shadow prowess.
Then something changed. Ross kissed Rachel and drop shadows suddenly became passé.
I can tell you that on the day I write this, in the Year of Our Lord 2010, using heavy drop shadows is seen as amateur. They look out of date. Mulletish. We can rail against the system, we can hang on to the party in the back, but these things happen.
We hate fads! We hate non-fads!
It’s not fair, I know. I hate it when the mass of society decides what’s hip and what’s mullet. My red Vans aren’t stylish (this year) yet I wear them regardless. So what’s the difference here?
It’s really about deciding what image you’re going to portray to the people who dig what you do. If those people appreciate All Things 90s and identify with you and your business in that way, then go ahead. Rock the mullet – er, drop shadow.
But if you want to look like you’re growing a business in this decade, drop the shadow. Unless you’re being ironic.
I’m a big advocate of designing stuff yourself when you need to. I think it’s awesome that you know how to use the drop shadow feature in Photoshop. Just remember that knowing how and knowing when can be the difference between rocking your own blog header and killing the first impression of your site.
Hey, these design rules can be confusing and at times contradictory. In ten years, people will wonder how anyone could think this was hot.
Psst! I am on your side. If you’re struggling with your own design, I’ll help you out. Ask anything you want and get non-judgmental yet amusing help.
I feel like you're talking directly to me…I have been sporting a mullet (shadow) and no one told me. Thanks for that perspective. PS – Vans are still cool.
Just for the record, I don't know how anyone could think Brad Pitt unshaven was hot in the first place, LOL.
When Ross kissed Rachel was like a totally historic moment. I still remember that day, I kid you not. Coincidentally, I think my geocities page about the paranormal was rockin it at that time too. Damnit, we could've been friends then and shared our drop-shadows, blinking gifs, rainbow dividers, and starry night backgrounds. It would've been so cool.