Hexanine:

With these visual design borders softening, it’s a great thing when we’re talking about the unification of signage and a shared visual language—especially when it comes to things like safety and wayfinding systems. The prime example of something like this is the wordless IKEA instructions. Say what you will about the quality of their furniture, but the non-verbal visual language they employ is impressive. However, it is kind of sad to see the slow demise of regional design styles and trends. Whereas 15 years ago, you could look at a piece of design and have a good idea that it came out of the Minneapolis area. Now, visual trends (especially in identity design) are no longer limited to borders because of Internet’s connectivity, and because of that, they seem to burn themselves out even more quickly.