M10 COLLECTION

Celebrating Ten Years of Material Design

When it was released in 2014, Google’s open-source design system promised a bold, minimalist aesthetic grounded in the physics of the real world, but unburdened by its limitations. It felt real when so many interfaces did not, and it was underpinned by a philosophy, a set of principles for what good design can do. A decade later, Material Design has become the lingua franca of user interfaces. It’s reshaped the way we move through the digital world, and transformed how designers and developers build products.

To celebrate the anniversary of this landmark moment in design history, we’ve published a compendium of collective knowledge that explores Material’s origins, core principles, and effects. Through an oral history series, a podcast collection, and a selection of articles, you can hear from the people who brought it to life, and explore how it continues to evolve to meet the demands of an ever-changing digital world.

Material Eras

An in-depth journey through the evolution of Google’s open-source design system, from inception to current iteration and beyond

Moments That Matter

Behind-the-scenes stories from the people who helped shape Material Design — from pivotal moments and challenges to ah-ha realizations

When a New G Passed the Squint Test

“We nicknamed it the Super G” — Gaja Sidrys Caple

When the Design Kit Went Dynamic

“With great impact comes great responsibility” – Euphrates Dahout

When M3 Made Us Question Our Assumptions

“Let’s see how far we can go” – Ayan Daniels

When Motion Got Principled

“It’s a guide for how to do guidelines” — Sharon Harris

When Google Home Got Personal

“Material made the system better for all people” — Miche Alvarez

When the Nitty Gritty Was a Big Deal

“We were extremely nerdy about super tiny details” — Philippe Cao

When We Had Two Weeks to Redesign Google

“It looked more Google than Google did” — Robert Wong

When Google Design Went URL to IRL

“SPAN was a cultural bridge between design and technology” — Rob Giampietro

When Material Made Its Global Debut

“I think we’re working on the biggest design project in the world” — Zach Gibson

When FORM Brought Screen to Stage

“Walking into the conference venue blew me away” — Paul Schlacter

Design Notes Podcast

Hear the makers of Material reflect on the risks and rewards of creating Google’s design system

United by Design

Adrian Secord on breaking silos (and metaphors) to build better UX

Code and Creativity

Will Larche on the synergy between design and engineering

What it Takes to Make FAB Components

Bethany Fong on tactile design and the thrilling early days of Material

Fonts, Sounds, Haptics, and More

Delve deeper into aspects of the Material system — discover the ways font design is progressing and the reasons your phone’s vibration has changed since the 2010s

Good Vibrations

A multisensory journey through Material sounds and haptics

Just Your Type

The past, present, and future of personal expression through fonts

To use Material in your own work, head over to m3.material.io for comprehensive design guidelines, component specs, and UX best practices. Or use the M3 Design Kit to start designing and prototyping in any Figma file.