There are certain words, phrases, or idioms in our culture that don’t seem to make a lot of sense, and that’s because they are holdovers from a time when the words had a different meaning or context. Still, we cling to them anyway as a form of shorthand that everyone understands. But did you know that there are real physical, visual, and (sometimes) tangible objects we interact with every day that have taken a similar journey of defying obsolescence?
These things are sometimes called “skeuomorphs,” which Dictionary.com describes as: “an ornament or design on an object that mimics the form of the object when made from another material or by other techniques, usually one that reflects a previously functional element, as an imitation metal rivet mark found on the handles of prehistoric pottery.”
If you’ve ever come across something that seems functional but has no discernible purpose, you might be looking at a skeuomorph. Sometimes these objects continue to exist for aesthetic reasons—because they look nice. Other times, retaining “outdated” features or design elements may help people quickly understand what the object does.
Confused? Here are some examples of skeuomorphs you’ll definitely recognize. In fact, you probably see or interact with these almost everyday.
1. The infamous tiny jeans pocket
Most pairs of jeans will, in addition to the main pocket, have a small additional pocket that has been baffling people for generations. There are a lot of rumors about where it comes from and what it’s for—condoms, coins, matches, etc. But I think we can all agree that 99% of the time it’s pretty much useless.
The truth is that this pocket on jeans is a skeuomorph stemming from the 1800s, when it was designed to hold the face of a pocket watch. Wrist watches didn’t become widely popular until after World War I.
2. This computer and phone icon that everyone recognizes
Skeuomorphs are really popular in the digital design world, where designers often try to mimic real-world counterparts (we’ll get to plenty of these!).
Probably the most famous example is the universal “Save” icon, which mirrors an old-fashioned floppy disk from the 1980s. Floppy disks like the one above haven’t been common for a long time, but their likeness is still globally accepted in this specific context, and probably will be for a long time to come.
3. The sound your phone camera makes
You might not be familiar with this sound at all if you’re below a certain age and used to having your phone in silent mode. In some places, like Japan, phones are required to make a sound when a picture is taken—for privacy and safety reasons.
The sound is a digital mimic of the noise a physical shutter makes on an actual camera and is not required at all for any functional reason!
4. Email CCs and BCCs
When you add someone to an email chain, publicly or secretly, you’ll use these functions—but most of us don’t stop and think about where they come from.
CC and BCC—”carbon copy” and “blind carbon copy,” respectively — come from the age of typewriters, when carbon paper was used to make multiple copies of a document at once. In fact, so much of modern email and keyboards harkens back to typewriters. The Shift key initially shifted up the case stamp to change lower case letters to capital. Caps lock, or Shift lock, locked it in place. And did you know that some people say the entire QWERTY keyboard that is standard today was not chosen because it’s the optimal layout? Instead, they claim, QWERTY was designed to separate commonly used letters and prevent typewriter jams.
Others say QWERTY came about when typists were attempting to rapidly transcribe blazing fast morse code. In any case, who knew typewriters were so influential!
5. The teeny, tiny handle on a bottle of maple syrup
Look at that thing! No one could possibly grip it or actually use the handle to pour their syrup. So why is it still there?
Surprise! It’s a skeuomorph. The tiny handle is a leftover from—or at least meant to evoke — old timey and gigantic stoneware jugs with which people used to store liquids. Ultimately, the tiny handles were a marketing gimmick meant to inspire nostalgia in potential customers.
6. The little bow on women’s underwear
A surprising majority of women’s underwear features a tiny little bow prominently placed on the very front. It looks nice, but serves no purpose functionally—so why is it so pervasive?
The most likely explanation is that they are a holdover—skeuomorph!—from the days before elastic, when undergarments and many other types of clothes were held up by a piece of ribbon that had to be pulled taught and tied. When elastic came around, the bow was no longer necessary, but too cute to ditch completely, apparently.
7. Window shutters
Homeowners fuss and fuss over the color and style of our shutters, and meanwhile, they don’t do a dang thing.
Shutters have been around for hundreds of years. Originally, they were the only way to open or shut a window, long before glass was readily available. By 1920, they were pretty much made obsolete by modern windows, blinds, storm windows, screens, and more, but again, they looked nice so we kept them!
Similarly, muntins—the thin bars that separate most windows into smaller panes—and mullions —the thicker vertical bars that separate one large window into two smaller ones—were originally necessary for support, but fell out of favor as larger single panes of glass became available. But we liked the way they looked, so they eventually found their way back to our homes.
8. The noise your vacuum cleaner makes
Early versions of vacuums were extraordinarily loud. Rumors have persisted for years that modern vacuum manufacturers could almost completely eliminate the noise, if it weren’t for the fact that consumers prefer it. When a vacuum is loud, we perceive it to be powerful—so some manufacturers add it back in.
Similarly, electric vehicles make almost no noise. But a lot of people miss the sound of a roaring engine, which has prompted certain manufacturers to artificially add it in even though it’s not necessary, according to Cheddar, an authority in financial news and tech coverage. Skeuomorph!
9. Fake pockets, buttons, and buckles
The only thing weirder than the tiny pocket on jeans is having a completely artificial pocket!
Jeans have been around for a really long time, becoming popular during the California Gold Rush thanks to Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis. With such a long history, we’re pretty used to seeing pockets in the usual spot. But at some point, some designers decided pockets were disrupting the cut and aesthetic of their clothes—particularly in women’s clothes. The solution? Create a fake pocket. It’ll look like what we’re used to without altering the lines of the garment.
You’ll also see plenty of clothes with fake buttons or fake buckles on shoes, likely holdovers from features that used to be functional but weren’t necessary anymore.
10. Grills on electric cars
The grill on a car allows air to enter into the engine and help cool the radiator. Electric cars, which are becoming more and more commonplace, don’t need this feature. While they do still need airflow, they need much less—yet you still see many of them with a large grill in the front.
Turns out people just really like their EVs to look as much like regular cars as possible.
11. Candle-shaped lightbulbs
Here’s an obvious but extremely prominent one. Most of us really love candles, lanterns, and other fire-based sources of light. But unfortunately, working with real fire just isn’t practical in a lot of cases.
Light bulbs are safer and more convenient most of the time, but we’ve put a lot of effort into making them look as much like candles and lanterns as possible. There are even light bulbs that artificially flicker like a real flame!
12. Half the apps and icons on your phone
Skeuomorphic design was really common in the early days of smartphones, and it’s still fairly prevalent today.
You’ll probably recognize a ton of examples: A Notes app that looks exactly like a sheet of paper. A calculator app that looks exactly like your elementary school calculator. A podcast app that looks like a cassette tape playing in a tape player.
Skeuomorphs are extremely common in icons and logos. The Gmail app logo itself resembles a letter in a paper envelope. The universally accepted symbol for phone calls resembles an old-fashioned handheld phone receiver, not a cell phone. The battery symbol looks nothing like modern lithium ion batteries, but much more like a AA.
Skeuomorphs are everywhere you look! Not only do they often look cool, they quickly convey meaning and function to people who may not be familiar with the app or design.
