'I cannot wait for the era of canva-slop graphic design to end': We should embrace millennial graphic design before something worse comes along

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• It's understandable to grow tired of a certain kind of look. Who hasn't hated on millennial grey in the past few years? Once something becomes identifiable as a fad, it's easy to make fun of. Plus, we have enough grocery store angst as it is, with prices for simple food items at an all-time high. When we see food with packaging that a marketing agency spent untold amounts of money on, it might ruffle our feathers just a bit. But in an era when graphic design is easier than ever, with tools like Canva and generative AI, we should be thankful that these designs at least came from humans. 

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• It's easy to deride this kind of millennial catnip because it's easy to replicate. But let's be honest, they keep using it because it keeps working. The fun colors and illustrations disrupt a shelf full of the same-old-same-old. Plus, if you happen to be a millennial or Gen Z, you might appreciate a product that seems geared toward you and your interests. To rail against these design signals is to miss out on the visual language of a generation, when it seems like the only other thing coming down the pipe is slop. AI is making the world uglier, so we should embrace intentional design while we still have it. Who cares if it's a little, as a true millennial would say, cheugy?

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