It seems very 1950's to me.
It looks like the first step out of flat, which IMO will have a short life cycle.
iOS7 is sleek, but also a bit annoying. Shadows create another dimension, which can be instructive. Sometimes more is more.
Bleh. Soulless and algorithmic. One of my Facebook friends commented that iOS7 looked like Hello Kitty had vomited all over his phone. I tend to agree. Looking at it, though, and I realize it's the lack of detail I find soulless and algorithmic. To me, the high point of web design was Designchapel, vintage 2003: …and if you look at it, it's the exact same fuckin' thing only with more detail. It's got the exact same skeuomorphic tweaks, they're just deliberate, intentional and, dare I say, "ironic." Looking over some old brochures I happen to own (long story), the designchapel approach sorta apes the old-school approach: "we use this many layers because they're not layers, they're colors of paint and we don't have all day." "Long Shadow Design" basically says "here's our minimal representation of an icon, with a drop shadow because it's by rote." My two cents, anyway. Actually, that was more like a quarter. I tend to overspend in these discussions.
I do adore the cleanness of that look. Sadly iOS7 feels too inconsistent to be any good. But I made a little Hubski thing in the same style: Would love to hear what someone with a more solid design background thinks of this 'trend'. insomniasexx?
Sorry for the late reply... This has been a trend for a bit now. Designer news switched their logo and icons over a while ago - that's the first I saw it. I personally avoid using trends at all costs because they will quickly look outdated. Instead I try to see what I like about it or others like about it and use that information to improve upon my designs. Unless I want to be constantly updating a design or website for someone, using trends in your own design is usually a bad idea. I do using subtle long shadows work well with flat or minimalist design, as long as it is subtle. It simply gives a bit of dimension and can make certain elements pop. A site I did a couple months ago has long shadows on the icons and I think it looks alright. Better than just plain old icons. I've also found that greens and blues tend to work best - yellows and oranges look worst.
I enjoy replicating things I like for exactly that reason. I couldn't quite nail the subtlety of the shadow, so I just went all out shadow with this one. One of the smaller things I learned from this little exercise is that subtle gradients give objects that 'soft' feel that I quite like. This guy agrees. Maybe it's not as useful as I thought it was.Instead I try to see what I like about it or others like about it and use that information to improve upon my designs.
using trends in your own design is usually a bad idea.
Once again, nice work, veen! BTW, if you add hubski.com to your home screen, we have this icon: Maybe we should update it, and get ahead of the trend. :) sounds_sound is another resident that I know has design chops.