Corporate Memphis.

How to recognize it.

1. Exaggerated proportions
2. Flat color fields
3. Geometric environments

Context & origins.

Corporate Memphis is a label for a flat, colourful, minimal illustration style showing energetic figures with long legs, lanky arms and small torsos, used heavily by large technology companies and start-ups. Commentators commonly trace it to Alegria, an illustration system made by the agency Buck and most famously used by Facebook. The article argues that the label is disputed. Some illustrators prefer the neutral term flat art, and collections claiming to show the style disagree widely about what it includes.

Historical context draws on the supplied research. Approximate periods are reference ranges, not fixed boundaries. See the source notes below.

In practice.

Give gestures and relationships a specific meaning for the message.

What to watch for

Generic characters can make unrelated brands look interchangeable.

These are editorial design observations, not rules for classifying every work.

Visual characteristics.

grid discipline

moderate

palette logic

pastel

contrast

medium

texture

flat

hierarchy

moderate

ornament level

minimal

Sources & further reading.

1. Supplied research: Graphic Design Movements 1850–2000 ↗corporate-memphis.mdConsulted 2026-09-24
2. wikidata ↗Consulted 2026-08-23