Corporate Memphis (alternative names: Alegria art, big tech art, flat art, corporate artstyle,[1] or, derisively, globohomo (global homogenization)[1][2][3]) is an art style named after the Memphis Group that features flat areas of color and geometric elements. Widely associated with Big Tech illustrations in the late 2010s[4] and early 2020s,[5] it has been met with a polarized response, with criticism focusing on its use in sanitizing corporate communication,[4] as well as being seen as visually offensive, insincere, pandering and over-saturated,[1] though some illustrators have defended the style, pointing at what they claim to be its art-historical legitimacy.[2]
![](http://up.wiki.x.io/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Humaaans-sitting-1.svg/220px-Humaaans-sitting-1.svg.png)
Origins
editFlat art developed out of the rise of vector graphic programs, and a nostalgia for mid-century modern illustration.[2] It began to trend in editorial illustration and especially the tech industry, which relied on simple, scalable illustrations to fill white space and add character to apps and web pages.[4] The style was widely popularized when Facebook introduced Alegria, an illustration system commissioned from design agency Buck Studios and illustrator Xoana Herrera[4] in 2017.[6][3]
The name "Corporate Memphis" originated from the title of an Are.na board that collected early examples,[4] and is a reference to the Memphis Group, a 1980s design group known for bright colors, childish patterns, and geometric shapes.[3] The style itself was inspired by a synthesis of elements spanning the 20th-century, including the Art Deco style of the 1920s, futurism in interior design from the Atomic Age, and color and patterns from the Pop Art movement.[3]
Visual characteristics
editCommon motifs are flat human characters in action, with disproportionate features such as long and bendy limbs,[5] small torsos,[7] minimal or no facial features, and bright colors without any blending. Facebook's Alegria uses non-representational skin colors such as blues and purples in order to feel universal,[6] though some artists working in the style opt for more realistic skin colors and features to show diversity.[4] However, such style has overall been criticised for tokenism and feeling inauthentic.[1]
Corporate Memphis is materially quick, cheap and easy to produce, and thus appealing to companies; programs such as Adobe Illustrator can be used to produce such designs rapidly.[1]
Reception
editOnce Facebook adopted the style, the sudden ubiquity of vector graphics led to a critical backlash.[2] The style has been criticized both professionally and popularly (including in myriad internet memes) for being overly minimalistic,[1] generic,[11] lazy,[5] overused, and attempting to sanitise public perception of big tech companies by presenting human interaction in utopian optimism.[4] Criticism of the art style is often rooted in larger anxieties about the creative industry under capitalism and neoliberalism.[7] Some[who?] have argued that, despite the criticism, Corporate Memphis has unexpected depth and variety, and deserves to be understood on its own merits beyond an association with tech dystopias.[2]
See also
edit- Material design, a Google-derived design language linked to Corporate Memphis
- Frutiger Aero, a prominent design style preceding Corporate Memphis that embraced contrasting skeuomorphism
- Flat design
- Postmodern art
- Metamodernism
- Pop art
- Capitalist realism
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f McGinn, Julian (30 March 2022). "It's Not Just You: Why People Hate "Corporate Art Style"". The Grand Geek Gathering. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Frey, Angelica (10 January 2022). "Facebook made a certain type of illustration ubiquitous—but it's time to stop knocking it". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Blue people and long limbs: How one illustration style took over the corporate world | Webflow Blog". Webflow. Archived from the original on 2022-11-16. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hawley, Rachel (2019-08-21). "Don't Worry, These Gangly-armed Cartoons Are Here to Protect You From Big Tech". Eye on Design. Archived from the original on 2021-08-22. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
- ^ a b c Gabert-Doyon, Josh (2021-01-24). "Why does every advert look the same? Blame Corporate Memphis". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 2021-08-22. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
- ^ a b "Facebook Alegria". Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ a b Posture, Julien (2022-01-13). "What the Think Pieces About "Corporate Memphis" Tell Us About the State of Illustration". AIGA Eye on Design. Archived from the original on 2022-05-28. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
- ^ a b Subirana, Jordi (11 April 2024). "L'Ajuntament de Barcelona s'oblida de la senyera als cartells de Sant Jordi". TOT Barcelona (in Catalan). Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Solé Ingla, Alba (12 April 2024). "Polèmica pel cartell de Sant Jordi de l'Ajuntament de Barcelona: què s'hi troba a faltar?". El Nacional (in Catalan). Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ ""Sorprèn que encara mantinguin el català": crítiques al cartell de Sant Jordi de Barcelona". Vilaweb (in Catalan). 11 April 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Quito, Anne (October 26, 2019). "Why editorial illustrations look so similar these days". Quartz. Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-02-10.