The New VSCO Update Is So Ugly, Even A Mother Wouldn't Love It
Pratik Naik
A new report claims VSCO's mom said even she can't understand the appeal of the new update and has decided to put it up for adoption.
This is what the update looks like, and you have no choice in the matter. Even if you don't update the app from the app store, it will change on your phone (at least, for iPhone users). This design may look different on the Android side.
It's bad.I mean, just read the responses. Second only to the time they forced the U2 album into our ear holes.
And what is up with that sewer cover over my photos? Well, that's your main "command station" where you move it in all directions, like a joystick, in order to navigate through the app. You can move it down for search filters, up to take a photo, right to access other material.
The official video will try to convince you otherwise.
As you can see, they also decided to really push the social media aspect of the platform over their powerful editing tools. The classical music overlay entwined made it feel like a really weird relationship, like seeing two people you know probably shouldn't be together.
They took out the square crop as well. They explain:
We also no longer crop thumbnails in your studio to squares. We want to present photos in their purest form and our new layout showcases photos in their exact aspect ratio. This enables you to see if you're working with a landscape or portrait oriented photo...
Fair point, however, a great option would be to have... options. The ability to let users decide if they want true aspect ratio, of 1:1 as usual. Also, the ability to change background color so we can pick white or neutral gray against our photos. Basic color principle things!
Lastly, that bright blue bar on top forcing us to sign in is hard to avoid.
These are the thoughts echoed by people who expressed outrage over the update. I am certain that with a smart team, they'll fix functionality and design.
When a design tries to be minimal with a negative impact on visual balance and functionality, it's no longer minimal, but pointless. I hope VSCO adapts in a fickle market because it's a damn good mobile photo editing app.