Since its debut, Material Design has served as the foundation for countless digital products across Android, web, and even iOS platforms. But in 2025, Material 3 — also known as "Material You"— is setting a new benchmark in user interface design. This isn’t just a visual refresh; Material 3 is a philosophy shift, placing personalization, accessibility, and adaptability at the forefront of digital experiences.

The Evolution from Material Design to Material You

Material Design (Material 1) was introduced by Google in 2014, bringing a bold visual language with emphasis on layering, shadows, and consistent UI elements. Material 2 refined that with more responsive components and better usability.

Now, Material 3 goes beyond standardized aesthetics. It adapts to you — your device, your preferences, your environment.

Core Innovations in Material 3

1. Dynamic Color

At the heart of Material 3 lies its most celebrated innovation: Dynamic Color. This feature extracts a color palette from the user’s wallpaper or background and applies it system-wide. Apps automatically adapt to this palette, creating a highly personalized, cohesive visual experience.

Why it matters:

• Enhances emotional connection with UI

• Makes every device feel uniquely yours

• Reduces visual fatigue with harmonious color transitions

2. Updated Components and Design Tokens

Material 3 introduces a new set of UI components built with adaptability in mind. Design tokens allow for easier cross-platform theming.

Key changes:

• Components are more responsive and scalable

• Better alignment with accessibility standards

• Design tokens enable consistency across Android, iOS, and web

3. Improved Typography and Layouts

Material 3 embraces new typography scales and layout guidelines that prioritize readability and adaptability across different screen sizes and device types.

Benefits include:

• More breathing space for text

• Clearer hierarchy for faster scanning

• Dynamic layout containers for better responsiveness

4. Motion and Interaction

Material 3 emphasizes subtle yet purposeful motion to guide users through the interface.

Motion is now:

• More fluid and natural

• Used to provide feedback and orientation

• Designed to support accessibility preferences (e.g. reduced motion settings)

Why Designers and Developers Should Care

Material 3 is not just for Android. It offers tools and principles that benefit multi-platform experiences. For developers, Material 3 integrates smoothly with Jetpack Compose, Flutter, and the Material Theme Builder. For designers, the new guidelines are available via Figma components and Google’s updated Material Design documentation.

Material 3 makes it easier to:

• Design once and deploy across platforms

• Provide a consistent user experience

• Stay up to date with best practices in accessibility and performance

Accessibility and Inclusion

In 2025, inclusive design is not optional — it’s expected. Material 3 strengthens this by:

• Offering better contrast out of the box

• Supporting larger touch targets

• Respecting user settings for reduced motion and larger font sizes

This ensures your UI is usable by everyone, regardless of ability.

Real-World Applications

From banking apps to health trackers, Material 3 is already being adopted by leading brands:

• Google Workspace apps now use Material 3 with dynamic color

• Spotify integrates motion and layout principles from Material 3

• Fintech startups are embracing personalization features to improve engagement

How to Get Started

• Explore the Material Design 3 documentation

• Use Material Theme Builder to create dynamic color schemes

• Try Material 3 UI kits on Figma

• Integrate with Jetpack Compose

Final Thoughts

Material 3 isn’t just a design system — it’s a shift in how we build relationships between people and digital products. In a world of increasing personalization and accessibility demands, Material You brings both consistency and flexibility.

For forward-thinking brands, now is the time to embrace Material 3 and future-proof your design strategy.