“Material Design” is a design language developed by Google in 2014. It would have needed to get out to everyone about the new design, logos, and content so a Branding Agency found at links like http://www.reallyhelpfulmarketing.co.uk/services/brand-development-gloucester/   It builds upon the original notion that inspired mouse-driven visual operating systems, which was to make computer files resemble actual files laid out on actual desktops.  The idea is to design interfaces that respond in physically intuitive ways with responsive transitions and animations, depth effects and shadows. It also makes use of grid layouts and a “card” motif borrowed from Google Now.

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Some of these principles are elaborated here: https://material.io/guidelines/. They explain that it resembles reality in that it is tactile in the same way that paper and ink are.

Belated Make-over

While Calendar may strike some readers as a relatively unimportant app, the truth is very different. Any office administrator, tour operator or logistics enterprise will tell you that maintaining and coordinating diaries is a critical and demanding part of their job, and it is fundamental to the smooth running of an enterprise. The calendar is also relied upon by many booking and events websites, and it is integrated into many popular content management systems such as WordPress.

When you understand its importance, you can understand why there has been so much criticism on discussion sites like Quora and Reddit about the rudimentary and Spartan nature of Google’s Calendar app. A material-design makeover is exactly what many were calling for, so Google replied with this new release in October. The app translates flexibly for Android, desktops and other platforms.

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If you need advice adapting your website to use Calendar, a professional web development company can help you get to grips with it.

Not Just a Pretty Face

The idea is to create meaning and focus for users. The new version also has increased functionality. One very welcome feature for those entrusted with coordinating multiple diaries is the ability to view more than one calendar side by side. It is also now possible to highlight entries using rich text and to embed hyperlinks to other useful documents.

Another powerful feature is the ability to automate Events management by integrating emails. Email confirmations of appointments or reservations can automatically create or update entries in the Calendar.

You can try out the new features when you’re ready for them. Some settings can be individually tweaked from the cog icon.