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The way we design AI looks like nostalgia already

Everything is starbursts, shiny things, and PURPLE GRADIENTS.

Allen
UX Collective

Meta AI, Google Gemini, Apple Intelligence, Microsoft Copilot, Adobe, Jasper AI, copy.ai, Zoom AI, Opera AI, Notion AI, and GitHub Copilot AI
Meta AI, Google Gemini, Apple Intelligence, Microsoft Copilot, Jasper AI, copy.ai, Adobe AI Assistant, Zoom AI, Opera AI, Notion AI, GitHub Copilot, and more.

AI is new and exciting, but its visual branding has become redundant. Despite how powerful and versatile AI is, the way most companies brand it is dull, repetitive, and doomed to look outdated soon.

Common elements in AI marketing designs include:

  • Starbursts
  • Glow
  • Purple gradients

It almost seems like there is an unspoken requirement for companies to refresh their brand guidelines to incorporate these elements. Today, we will take a look at this trend and see if the design patterns are a sustainable solution for companies involved in AI.

Examples

Adobe

Adobe has decided to include its AI component in Acrobat with a prominent button that is now visually the focus of the app. The design contains the trendy ingredients mentioned and takes user focus away from the rest of the UI. What does the button do? No way to tell as there are no clear cues, besides the chat bubble icon that might imply that it is a chatbot or such.

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Responses (12)

What are your thoughts?

1. It's become redundant which means it has become a strong mental model for users. Mental models are key to good usability. I find the paper airplane icon redundant but that makes it clear you're going to send an email or message.
2. There does…

As an 80/90s kid, I absolutely love the starbursts, glow, and gradients. They bring back such nostalgic memories for me.

AI is new and exciting

Oh yeah, very new. Has only been an academic discipline since 1956, that's practically yesterday... 😄