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Why does every advert look the same? Corporate Memphis

wired.co.uk

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Re: Why does every advert look the same? Corporate Memphis

#21

Post by coding123 »

Someone sent this around a few weeks ago - it's a lot more harsh/critical:

https://www.marketplace.org/2021/04/15/a-primer-on-corporate...

> Merrill: I think Facebook is probably the biggest example of it. They went through a phase where they were using this style universally. And, you know, they are one of the darkest companies as far as how they’re using that customer data. And it is all about this idea of, “Trust me. I’m a trustworthy company.” And let’s not look behind the curtain and see what’s actually going on. So I think it’s a really nefarious way to hide behind visual language.

Re: Why does every advert look the same? Corporate Memphis

#22

Post by blululu »

The trend is real but it is also pretty innocuous. I know that design people think that these things influence collective consciousness in a deep way but really it is just another cog in the wheel. In my personal experience, the primary reason that design teams prefer this style is that it is able to clearly represent a diverse and inclusive audience. Inclusivity and diversity are very important goals for most American companies. Part of this may be related to certain liberal ideologies but most of this is just about capitalism. America is a diverse country and most American companies also harbor aspirations to serve global markets. Having a simple way to show that your products can solve problems for everyone is just good for business.

Re: Why does every advert look the same? Corporate Memphis

#23

Post by echelon »

nostromo wrote: post #19

It’s largely driven by corporations trying to be as broad and inoffensive as possible. Not sure what skin color to use? Make them blue. Are your depictions of humans too thin, or too ableist? Make them misshapen blobs so nobody can tell. Not sure how to include non-binary representation? Just make them all genderless.

This is so bland and dystopian. Mutated blob people make me hate interacting with corporate products.

If you're going to do this, at least use creativity. Discord does a fantastic job of being inclusive and yet creative.

Re: Why does every advert look the same? Corporate Memphis

#24

Post by mattkevan »

Had a discussion about this style with an illustrator friend a few months ago.

Illustration is genuinely better at conveying concepts than photography, and everyone is tired of lightbulbs, puzzle pieces, people in suits shaking hands and other stock photo cliches.

Problem is, commissioning an illustrator, especially a good one, is expensive and time consuming and takes excellent art direction to get right.[1]

This style however, is cheap, easy (anyone with a bit of drawing ability can do it), it’s sort of cozy and friendly, and doesn’t have any real negative cultural associations. It also wasn’t, until about six months ago, so totally overexposed it’s become a cliche in itself.

Now, there’s no excuse to use it - just betrays a fatal lack of originality. Might as well include an image of someone reaching up to a blue wireframe globe superimposed with zeroes and ones and @ symbols.

[1] Original illustration isn’t used nearly as much as it could or should be in digital products. Nautil.us do it well, but they are a magazine. Seriously, commission more illustration, it’s great.

Re: Why does every advert look the same? Corporate Memphis

#25

Post by genericone »

echelon wrote: post #23
nostromo wrote: post #19

It’s largely driven by corporations trying to be as broad and inoffensive as possible. Not sure what skin color to use? Make them blue. Are your depictions of humans too thin, or too ableist? Make them misshapen blobs so nobody can tell. Not sure how to include non-binary representation? Just make them all genderless.

This is so bland and dystopian. Mutated blob people make me hate interacting with corporate products. If you're going to do this, at least use creativity. Discord does a fantastic job of being inclusive and yet creative.

Corporate culture has deemed it a better tradeoff to be called uncreative than to be called k-ist or j-phobic. Most of these people just want to do their jobs and go home at the end of the day, not thread the political needle at great expense if it goes wrong.

Re: Why does every advert look the same? Corporate Memphis

#26

Post by Lammy »

quelsolaar wrote: post #16

I think its interesting that the flat look was pioneered by Microsoft going back to the days of the Zune2 and later lumia phones that had the first Metro interface. Then google and Apple and everyone else started following. People don't think of Microsoft (and especially Zune...) as a leader in design, but I think they have had a big impact on the industry, and deserves some recognition.

I think you can probably trace some influence even further back to webTV. Check out its flat "10-foot UI" from 1999: https://youtu.be/eHJN9cMo4P4?t=156

Microsoft's UltimateTV set-top-box hardware group got folded into the Xbox division in 2002: https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Microsoft-to-Eliminate-TV-D...

And then in 2006 (per Wikipedia), "Xbox 360 overseer J Allard ran the [Toshiba Gigabeat 1089] project, codenamed 'Argo', staffed with Xbox and MSN Music Store developers who worked on 'Alexandria', finalized as Zune Marketplace."

Re: Why does every advert look the same? Corporate Memphis

#27

Post by Pils »

lainga wrote: post #3

The name refers to how it resembles the work of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_Group

For visual reference, Evan Collin's Are.na block is the most cohesive collection of this aesthetic I've found online https://www.are.na/evan-collins-1522646491/memphis-general-g....

The Memphis-esque style is definitely having a moment. You'll notice that the Chillwave aesthetic borrowed a ton of visual cues as well.

Re: Why does every advert look the same? Corporate Memphis

#28

Post by Lammy »

nostromo wrote: post #19

It’s largely driven by corporations trying to be as broad and inoffensive as possible. Not sure what skin color to use? Make them blue. Are your depictions of humans too thin, or too ableist? Make them misshapen blobs so nobody can tell. Not sure how to include non-binary representation? Just make them all genderless.

I just think of it as "Doug, but everyone has elephantiasis" https://i.imgur.com/LMqi9fp.png

Re: Why does every advert look the same? Corporate Memphis

#30

Post by sound1 »

vitili wrote: post #6

Reminds me of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFb7BOI_QFc

Very close to a racist video, this :) But as a colored person, it is just a cultural difference. People just associate certain things with skin color, and depending upon geographical location it can be an advantage or a disadvantage. I was in Greenville SC and they were the warmest people I ever met, but yeah they took their own time to let me in :-)

(if you must ask it was the farmer's market)

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