Vent: My niece asked why all my old designs look the same

I was showing my niece, who's 17, my old portfolio from the early 2000s. She flipped through it and just said, 'It's all black, gray, and beige. Was color not invented yet?' We both laughed, but it stuck with me. I spent years in that New York studio thinking those muted palettes were the peak of modern design. Her comment made me look back and realize how safe I was playing it. Now I'm sketching with bright greens and deep purples just to see what happens. Has anyone else had a younger person completely shake up their design thinking?

2 comments

2 Comments

emma3491d ago

That New York studio era was all about those colors. I remember my boss at the time would literally send files back if they had more than three hues.

luna_sanchez1d ago

Emma's right about that studio culture. It wasn't just a trend, it was a rule. I remember we had a client who wanted a bright blue accent wall in a restaurant concept. The creative director called it "visually loud" and made us redo the whole presentation in charcoal and oatmeal. That fear of color felt professional at the time, like we were being serious. Looking back, it just made everything blend together.