Glossary · Web & App Development
Material Design 3
Overview
What Material Design 3 is
Material Design 3, commonly called Material 3, is the latest major version of Google's open-source design system. It provides guidelines, components, and design tokens for building coherent, accessible user interfaces across Android, the web, and Flutter.
Material 3 launched in 2021 with Android 12 under the Material You banner, emphasizing personalization. In May 2025 Google introduced Material 3 Expressive, a refresh centered on more emotive motion, updated shapes, refreshed color roles, and more impactful typography, which began rolling out to Pixel devices with Android 16.
How Material Design 3 works
Material 3 organizes styling into design tokens for color, typography, shape, and elevation, so values can be changed centrally and applied consistently. Its signature feature, dynamic color, generates a full palette from a source such as the user's wallpaper, giving each device a personalized yet accessible theme.
Google publishes Material 3 component libraries and Figma design kits, plus native implementations in Jetpack Compose for Android and in Flutter. The system builds in accessibility considerations such as contrast and touch-target sizing as part of its component specs.
Why Material Design 3 matters
Following an established design system speeds up development, keeps products visually consistent, and inherits accessibility work that Google has already validated. For Android and Flutter teams, Material 3 is the default, well-documented styling foundation.
Material 3 Expressive signals a shift toward more distinctive, personality-driven interfaces. Teams should note that it is an evolving standard, and that a fully custom brand system may be preferable when a product needs to look clearly different from stock Google styling.
Where we use it
Related Zen in Tech services
How our team puts Material Design 3 to work in real projects.
FAQ
Material Design 3 — common questions
What is the difference between Material You and Material 3?
Material 3 is the design system version; Material You is Google's marketing name for its personalization features, most notably dynamic color that adapts the palette to a user's wallpaper. In practice the terms are often used interchangeably.
What is Material 3 Expressive?
Material 3 Expressive is a 2025 evolution of Material 3 introduced by Google, adding springier motion physics, new component shapes, refreshed color, and bolder typography. It began rolling out on Pixel devices with Android 16.
Can I use Material Design 3 on the web?
Yes. Google provides Material 3 guidelines, design tokens, and web components, and the system is also implemented in Flutter and Jetpack Compose for cross-platform consistency.
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