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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-memphis-big-techs-favor

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-memphis-big-techs-favorite-design-trend/ 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.

nescioquid 5y ago
My immediate thought was of rhetorical training in the ancient world. On the one hand, training in rhetoric will help you persuade, and on the other, will also help you become aware when someone else is using those techniques. One of the five parts of rhetoric was called "ethos", which is concerned with how to establish yourself with your audience as trustworthy and sympathetic. In advertising, lots of elements beyond mere words are employed to establish ethos, visual style, sound, editing. But I suppose I never explicitly considered the visual display of an application as an exercise in rhetoric, though upon reflection, it certainly can be. Perhaps we all need visual-rhetorical training.