Editorial design in an age of AI slop
The internet is filling up with the same glossy, predictable brands. We deliberately go the other way: editorial, tactile, with a hand of its own.
A recognisable look has emerged: the same purple gradients, the same sans-serif, the same centred hero with a button underneath. Safe, but soulless. We call it AI slop, design that looks like nobody made a choice.
Our counter-move is editorial thinking. We treat a brand like a magazine: with a masthead, a rhythm, white space that breathes and typography with character. A display serif with attitude, a calm body face beside it. Asymmetry where it creates tension.
That demands choices an algorithm won't make on its own. Which photo gets the full block? Where do we leave emptiness on purpose? Which detail, a thin rule, an italic caption, a small mark, makes it yours? Those decisions give a brand a memory.
The beautiful part: editorial ages more slowly than a trend. A brand with a hand of its own stays standing once the next gradient hype has passed.
Remember this
- ·Avoid the generic 'AI look': centred hero, gradient, sans-serif.
- ·Treat a brand like a magazine: rhythm, white space, characterful type.
- ·Distinctive details give a brand a memory, and longevity.