A great analysis. History repeats itself, so what do we predict for the next cycle? Hard to say now that we have AI in the mix. I do have this feeling we're moving toward a renaissance of brand and identity that will hopefully get us out of this Helvetica x Balenciaga nightmare we're living. I think people are sick of everything feeling boring and flat, but the average person doesn't really want to live with a trash bag sofa (unless you're harry nuriev). Bring back the fancy fonts and the flourishes! I hope I'm right.
Yes I hope you're right too! I think we're due some funky fonts for sure, stuff that feels rougher, more handmade. Lots of kitschy references, design that feels cosy and casual rather than cool. I'll be keeping tabs 👀
I was there when they did the big eBay rebrand around 2016/2017, and while the font isn’t exciting I appreciate the vastly better expanded color palettes to use. But yeah there’s an ubiquitousness to most branding now that’s just boring.
Great post. Such an interesting and topical read. I have been looking for some sort of signpost to navigate the ugliness on view and yours is luminous.
I wonder if the 'mods' and then the 'punks' did their versions of this in previous eras?
In between these; the 60's, Conran, the Mini and many more, made design chic, curved and colourful.
Thanks Liz. Mods and punks is a good parallel, I was also thinking of the YBAs with their "shock value" art or even Renaissance Mannerist architecture. I think there's this continual tension in culture between the rough and the smooth and that everyone so often (and increasingly often it feels in the internet era) the polarity flips so that one is dominant.
yeah, probably because there's a Mannerist exhibition in my town, I thought of it as well. It's just a natural order of things, to cycle through order and chaos 😌 Great post btw, I really liked the scale of ugly 🤓
Great post. I despair at this current generation's love for ugly appearance, thoughts, actions, and design. Today is our national Memorial Day for soldiers who died, not for ugliness, but the beauty of civilization.
A great analysis. History repeats itself, so what do we predict for the next cycle? Hard to say now that we have AI in the mix. I do have this feeling we're moving toward a renaissance of brand and identity that will hopefully get us out of this Helvetica x Balenciaga nightmare we're living. I think people are sick of everything feeling boring and flat, but the average person doesn't really want to live with a trash bag sofa (unless you're harry nuriev). Bring back the fancy fonts and the flourishes! I hope I'm right.
Yes I hope you're right too! I think we're due some funky fonts for sure, stuff that feels rougher, more handmade. Lots of kitschy references, design that feels cosy and casual rather than cool. I'll be keeping tabs 👀
Oh yes indeed! Please unhinge some more.
I was there when they did the big eBay rebrand around 2016/2017, and while the font isn’t exciting I appreciate the vastly better expanded color palettes to use. But yeah there’s an ubiquitousness to most branding now that’s just boring.
Hahaha! I enjoyed this post.
To me, things started getting uglier after the forties. If you look at photographs before and after, suddenly everything gets sloppy.
As you can guess, I like antiques, and non-plastic stuff. To me it's authentic and a postcard from the past. Functional is wonderful too.
Great post. Such an interesting and topical read. I have been looking for some sort of signpost to navigate the ugliness on view and yours is luminous.
I wonder if the 'mods' and then the 'punks' did their versions of this in previous eras?
In between these; the 60's, Conran, the Mini and many more, made design chic, curved and colourful.
Untended consequences then and now?
Thanks Liz. Mods and punks is a good parallel, I was also thinking of the YBAs with their "shock value" art or even Renaissance Mannerist architecture. I think there's this continual tension in culture between the rough and the smooth and that everyone so often (and increasingly often it feels in the internet era) the polarity flips so that one is dominant.
yeah, probably because there's a Mannerist exhibition in my town, I thought of it as well. It's just a natural order of things, to cycle through order and chaos 😌 Great post btw, I really liked the scale of ugly 🤓
Great post. I despair at this current generation's love for ugly appearance, thoughts, actions, and design. Today is our national Memorial Day for soldiers who died, not for ugliness, but the beauty of civilization.
I wouldn't despair, I think this kind of thing is pretty cyclical...!