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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

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.

Lammy 5y ago
It lets companies look diverse without being diverse, yeah.
- blululu 5y ago
  A subtle distinction here: The goal is not for the company to look diverse but rather for the product/service to appeal to a diverse customer/user base. This is a formidable design challenge. Depicting the full range of human life is not really possible with half a dozen images. The solution that everyone has landed on is to lower the fidelity of the representation. If we get rid of photorealism, 3d features, texture and other high resolution features, then a single illustration can encompass a much greater slice of humanity than a photograph could. I'm sure that there are other solutions to this design problem but I don't think that anything will replace the Memphis aesthetic until people understand the needs that led to its ubiquity. Any alternative aesthetic will need to satisfy the same basic business requirements.
- lghh 5y ago
  Chicken and egg. If you're a company that isn't very diverse but is trying to change that, a good first step is to present diversity. If that's the ONLY step, then sure go ahead and drag them, but it's not bad on its face.

Lammy 5y ago

It lets companies look diverse without being diverse, yeah.

blululu 5y ago
A subtle distinction here: The goal is not for the company to look diverse but rather for the product/service to appeal to a diverse customer/user base. This is a formidable design challenge. Depicting the full range of human life is not really possible with half a dozen images. The solution that everyone has landed on is to lower the fidelity of the representation. If we get rid of photorealism, 3d features, texture and other high resolution features, then a single illustration can encompass a much greater slice of humanity than a photograph could. I'm sure that there are other solutions to this design problem but I don't think that anything will replace the Memphis aesthetic until people understand the needs that led to its ubiquity. Any alternative aesthetic will need to satisfy the same basic business requirements.
lghh 5y ago
Chicken and egg. If you're a company that isn't very diverse but is trying to change that, a good first step is to present diversity. If that's the ONLY step, then sure go ahead and drag them, but it's not bad on its face.