Corporate Memphis

Flat art developed out of the rise of vector graphic programs, and a nostalgia for midcentury modern illustration.[3] 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.[1] The style was widely popularized when Facebook introduced Alegria, an illustration system commissioned from design agency Buck Studios and illustrator Xoana Herrera[1] in 2017.[4][5]

The name Corporate Memphis originated from the title of an Are.na board that collected early examples,[1] and is a reference to the Memphis Group, a 1980s design group known for bright colors, childish patterns, and geometric shapes.[5] Though called globohomo art by some (short for global homogenization), this term has also been used derisively.[3]

Corporate Memphis style artwork featuring characters with blue and purple skintones

Common motifs are flat human characters in action, with disproportionate features such as long and bendy limbs,[2] small torsos,[6] 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,[4] though some artists working in the style opt for more realistic skin colors and features to show diversity.[1]

Once Facebook adopted the style, the sudden ubiquity of vector graphics led to a critical backlash.[3] The style has been criticized for being generic,[7] lazy,[2] overused, and attempting to sanitize public perception of big tech companies by presenting human interaction in utopian optimism.[1] Criticism of the art style is often rooted in larger anxieties about the creative industry under capitalism and neoliberalism.[6] Some 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.[3]