Metro (design language)

Metro is the obsolete name of a typography- and geometry-focused design language created by Microsoft primarily for user interfaces. A key design principle is better focus on the content of applications, relying more on typography and less on graphics ("content before chrome"). Early examples of Metro principles can be found in Encarta 95 and MSN 2.0. The design language evolved in Windows Media Center and Zune and was formally introduced as "Metro" during the unveiling of Windows Phone 7. It has since been incorporated into several of the company's other products, including the Xbox 360 system software, Xbox One, Windows 8, Windows Phone, and Outlook.com under the names Microsoft design language and Modern UI after Microsoft discontinued the name "Metro" allegedly because of trademark issues.

The design language is based on the design principles of classic Swiss graphic design. Early glimpses of this style could be seen in Windows Media Center for Windows XP Media Center Edition, which favored text as the primary form of navigation. This interface carried over into later iterations of Media Center. In 2006, Zune refreshed its interface using these principles. Microsoft designers decided to redesign the interface and with more focus on clean typography and less on UI chrome. These principles and the new Zune UI were carried over to Windows Phone (from which much was drawn for Windows 8). The Zune Desktop Client was also redesigned with an emphasis on typography and clean design that was different from the Zune's previous Portable Media Center based UI. Flat colored "live tiles" were introduced into the design language during the early Windows Phone's studies.

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