The funny thing with design debates is that they always seem to focus on how things look. In the interview Marc takes issue with what he sees as a very same-y design culture within the digital industry:

I’m someone who believes design should push boundaries and challenge what’s considered the norm, so I’m tempted to share this sentiment. The current digital landscape certainly looks a bit repetitive and bland. And for a good reason! The dominant visual trends we’re seeing online right now – clean and flat design, bold graphics, digestible chunks of copy – are the by-product of a conscious effort to establish clarity and usability within responsive technology. So I feel like Marc is stating the obvious.

I also feel like he's missing the point.

The point of design isn't “look at me,” but rather “look at what I'm saying.” Visual trends are symptoms. They’re patterns. They hint at where we are and what’s to come. But they don’t define design. They’re a natural part of cultural evolution, and always will be. Like all trends before and after, they will inevitably change.

Remember Crocs? The shit plastic clogs that everyone was wearing in 2006, when everything in fashion was terrible? Well some people still wear Crocs. You may think those people look bad, but they don't care. They're comfortable. And they will continue to wear bad-looking, comfortable footwear because having comfortable feet makes their life a little easier.

Crocs don't look boring (they look ridiculous) but that's beside the point. What they look like doesn't matter. What matters is that Crocs are user-friendly and people love to wear them.

The tech industry is at a point where clarity and usability are paramount and agile development is championed. There is a high level of quality control that has resulted in an Internet that’s way more user-friendly than it was just a few years ago. Digital has never been more accessible, and this is a great thing.

Websites then and now. We've moved into a mobile-friendly era of clean and bold visual design trends – the current sites look similar even though they serve completely different needs.

As the industry, clients and users alike familiarise themselves with evolving responsive design patterns, they’re increasingly open to being challenged in new ways (navigational structures, visual styles, unorthodox grids, etc). But there needs to be consistency, familiarity, and understanding before they move the goalposts. As the goalposts move, visual trends will follow.

Digital experiences will change. They’ll still resemble one another. And that’s okay.