It is 1991.
Kurt Cobain launches himself at Dave Grohl's drum kit. Tears his shirt in the process.
He doesn’t care.
Looking ragged was the point. The meaning was changing - in one context, plaid and ripped jeans looked scruffy and unserious. In another, they looked authentic. Millions of fans soon copied the look. The shiny Los Angeles hard rock aesthetic of the 80s soon gave way to Seattle plaid.
Tastes shifted.
But what is taste?
We often talk about people having taste.
Or lacking it.
Usually, we mean it as a compliment.
Recently, an AI company called Taste Labs launched. Their mission is to end AI slop. To help AI become more tasteful.
It’s a great problem to solve. Because we know AI slop when we see it.
Generic.
Mid.
Taste Labs are starting with design.
So what is tasteful design? Is taste the same thing as good design?
Design schools teach proportion, hierarchy, texture and colour. A designer who learns these principles will typically produce good work. But knowing good design principles isn't necessarily the same thing as having taste.
Tastemakers often break rules.
Grunge broke rules.
Many things we now regard as tasteful began life as violations.
Often with a wink.
So, their mission is a significant challenge.
….or perhaps I'm taking their pitch too literally.
Perhaps they're simply trying to elevate design standards. To make AI output look less AI-generated by applying design principles in a better way.
That will likely work.
For a time.
But every successful aesthetic eventually becomes a formula.
And then every formula becomes generic.
Before the off-beat upsets the apple cart, once again.