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Local storefronts all copying the same boring design style | Graphic Design Inspo - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

ninataylor•6mo ago

Local storefronts all copying the same boring design style

Walking around downtown lately, I can't help but notice how every new storefront has the same sleek, forgettable look. It's all these thin, white fonts on dark backgrounds or the other way around, with no real art to it. I remember finding cool ideas from old vinyl shop windows or bakery signs with fun illustrations. Now, it's like someone made a rule that design has to be safe and plain. When I hunt for inspiration online, it's just more of the same slick stuff flooding my feed. Even the posters for local events have lost their hand-drawn charm. It makes pulling fresh ideas for my own work a real chore. Honestly, it's sucking the life out of what used to be a vibrant visual scene.

4 comments

4 Comments

elliot_wright26mo ago

That cheap barbershop look, why do they think it's good?

zaranelson6mo ago

Well, maybe it's not that big a deal. This style could just be a cheap option for small shops trying to open up. Trends always shift, so something new will come along soon enough. It's not like bad design is ruining the town or anything. Most folks just want a good product, not a pretty sign.

jade_murray6mo ago

Honestly you nailed it with the old vinyl shop windows thing. Tbh I saw a new cafe last week with that exact thin white font on a black wall and just sighed. It feels like every small business is trying to look like a phone app now. Even the barbershop on my block redid their sign into that plain style and it just looks cheap. Makes everything feel like a chain even when it's not.

tara_stone426mo ago

Literally every new place in my neighborhood looks like that now. There's a dry cleaner that redid their storefront with that thin font on a plain background and it looks so cheap, like a blank wall. Elliot_wright2 is totally right about the barbershop thing, it just feels empty. Idk why this became the default look for everything, it has zero personality. Makes me miss when shops actually tried to stand out.