DALL·E 2 and the Origin of Vibe Shifts

I’m interested in this little piece of design history because today I think history is on the brink of repeating itself. Now that we have DALL·E 2 (and other AI image generators), a huge portion of visual vibes will become democratized. What Unsplash did to photography, DALL·E 2 will do to illustrations, 3D renderings, and eventually all visual sty... See more

So what is the end game? What happens if we reach a “vibe singularity” in all forms of art, where anyone can create anything by typing a few phrases? How does status get signaled through aesthetic vibes when all the vibes are free?

Furthermore, I think future generations are going to be ridiculously good at working with AI to create cool things. Just like anyone under ~35 is considered to be “internet native,” today’s kids will be considered “AI native.”

The primary function of visual aesthetics in corporate design, in my view, is to send a costly signal to prospective partners that the company is fit to survive. “We are strong, wealthy, and reliable,” they say to your subconscious. Of course, besides visual aesthetics, a company’s marketing materials need to clearly articulate the product’s value ... See more

I think when Unsplash (the free photography website) was founded in 2013 it killed the old vibe by democratizing access to great photography, and thereby ruining its function as a costly status signal. Companies then started using custom illustrations in their brand aesthetic because illustrations suddenly became much more rare and expensive relati... See more

The fundamental challenge in these competitions is information. Agents want to choose the best partner to transact with, but they have incomplete information and limited time and energy to decide. From the outside it’s hard to know if a company is going to be able to deliver on their promises, just the same way it’s hard for a female peacock to kno... See more