Android’s popular geometric stock backgrounds aren’t actually digitally created as many likely assume, according to a recent post on Google’s design blog.
Instead, they’re carefully hand-designed through a series of specially lighted, layered and coloured photographs, created by artist Carl Kleiner. When it comes to Android Marshmallow, Google commissioned Kleiner to create three new pieces the company calls “paperscapes,” art created out of multiple paper textures and types, and with the aid of various visual effects.
Google says Marshmallow’s new background art plays with subtle shifts in tone and texture rather than relying on bold colour changes like with past versions of Android, particularly Android 5.0 Lollipop.
“We wanted to work with surfaces that have a subtle and sophisticated texture,” says Kleiner in Google’s blog post. “Organic to the touch and graphic in composition…Painted surfaces, color pigment powders, floating ink and the like.”
Marshmallow’s background colour palette is limited to Google’s core brand colours, with additional pops of neutral grey added for increased contrast.
To celebrate the launch of Marshmallow, Google is launching two exclusive Kleiner backgrounds. Download them in blue or red.
[source]Google[/source]
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