Faceless characters
People have simple heads, few or no facial features and exaggerated long limbs.
Flat, faceless people with tiny heads, long bendy limbs and purple skin, waving from every tech homepage around 2020. It looked friendly, then it looked like everyone.
Open the kit Copy promptCorporate Memphis is a flat illustration style that big tech companies adopted almost at once. It teaches a useful lesson: a style can become a template, and templates make brands disappear.
People have simple heads, few or no facial features and exaggerated long limbs.
Purple, blue or orange skin avoids showing any specific identity.
Soft blob shapes and potted plants fill the background.
Round geometric sans-serifs and pastel palettes complete the look.
The style spread so fast that it became shorthand for tech marketing within a few years.
Facebook launches an illustration system called Alegria, created with the studio Buck, with flat bendy characters.
Tech companies, banks and startups use similar characters on homepages, onboarding screens and ads.
Critics start calling it Corporate Memphis, linking it loosely to the colourful Memphis Design of the 1980s.
Designers mock the sameness, and brands shift toward 3D, photography and hand-made illustration.
Corporate Memphis motion is polite. A character waves while a background blob slowly morphs.
These three mockups are built only from the kit on this page. Swap the tokens and they change style with it.
Apps welcomed new users with waving characters and plants.
Financial brands used the style to look approachable.
Office software showed diverse teams without showing real people.
The tokens every component on this page is built from. Copy them as a starting point, then adjust with intent.
Pastels plus one strong violet. Notice how close this is to the AI default palette. Tap a swatch to copy its hex value.
:root{
--warm-white: #FFF8F2;
--violet: #5B4BDB;
--peach: #FFB199;
--mint: #7ED6B6;
--sunny: #FFD166;
--deep-indigo: #2B2350;
}One round geometric sans for everything. Friendly, neutral and very common.
Body text carries the explanation. Keep lines under about 75 characters so the eye can find the next line.
:root{
--font-d: "Poppins",system-ui,sans-serif;
--font-b: "Poppins",system-ui,sans-serif;
--font-m: ui-monospace,Menlo,monospace;
--fs-d: clamp(42px, 9vw, 81px);
--fs-1: 41.5px; --fs-2: 33.2px;
--fs-3: 26.6px; --fs-4: 21.2px;
--fs-body: 17px; --fs-sm: 13.6px;
}
h1,h2,h3,h4 {
font-family: var(--font-d);
font-weight: 700;
letter-spacing: -.02em;
text-transform: none;
line-height: 1.1;
}
/* fonts: Poppins, the go-to geometric sans of the era */Classic SaaS layouts: hero with illustration, three feature columns, testimonial, call to action.
Equal cards, product tiles, feature lists.
<div class="row"><div class="col-4">4</div><div class="col-4">4</div><div class="col-4">4</div></div>Articles, documentation, settings pages.
<div class="row"><div class="col-8">8</div><div class="col-4">4</div></div>Heroes and feature sections with tension.
<div class="row"><div class="col-5">5</div><div class="col-7">7</div></div>Dense galleries and logo walls.
<div class="row"><div class="col-3">3</div><div class="col-3">3</div><div class="col-3">3</div><div class="col-3">3</div></div>.row {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: repeat(12, minmax(0, 1fr));
gap: 24px;
}
.col-3 { grid-column: span 3; } .col-4 { grid-column: span 4; }
.col-5 { grid-column: span 5; } .col-7 { grid-column: span 7; }
.col-8 { grid-column: span 8; }
@media (max-width: 760px) {
.row { grid-template-columns: 1fr; }
.row > * { grid-column: auto; }
}Large radius, soft shadows, blobs. Nothing sharp, nothing surprising.
:root {
--radius: 20px;
--radius-sm: 14px;
--bw: 1px;
--shadow: 0 12px 30px rgba(91,75,219,.12);
--shadow-sm: 0 4px 12px rgba(91,75,219,.12);
--gap: 24px;
--pad: 24px;
}Change three tokens and the whole page responds, because every component reads from them. Reset brings back the style defaults.
Move a control to see the token change.Every component below is plain HTML with class names from the kit. Copy the full kit CSS once, then paste any snippet.
/* Corporate Memphis kit · Anti-Boring */
:root{
--bg:#FFF8F2;
--surface:#FFFFFF;
--surface2:#FFEDE0;
--fg:#2B2350;
--muted:#5C5680;
--accent:#5B4BDB;
--accent-fg:#FFFFFF;
--accent2:#FFD166;
--accent2-fg:#2B2350;
--border:#EADFD6;
--bw:1px;
--radius:20px;
--radius-sm:14px;
--shadow:0 12px 30px rgba(91,75,219,.12);
--shadow-sm:0 4px 12px rgba(91,75,219,.12);
--font-d:"Poppins",system-ui,sans-serif;
--font-b:"Poppins",system-ui,sans-serif;
--font-m:ui-monospace,Menlo,monospace;
--h-weight:700;
--h-track:-.02em;
--h-case:none;
--h-style:normal;
--h-lh:1.1;
--gap:24px;
--pad:24px;
--focus:rgba(91,75,219,.3);
--ok:#1E8C6B;
--warn:#9A5A00;
--danger:#D6456B;
--info:#5B4BDB;
--field-bg:var(--surface);
--field-shadow:none;
--media:radial-gradient(ellipse at 30% 70%,#7ED6B6 0 35%,transparent 36%),radial-gradient(circle at 75% 30%,#FFD166 0 18%,transparent 19%),#FFEDE0;
--code-bg:#2B2350;
--code-fg:#FFEDE0;
--btn-case:none;
--btn-track:0;
--btn-weight:600;
--badge-radius:999px;
--maxw:1160px;
--fs-sm:13.6px;
--fs-body:17px;
--fs-4:21.2px;
--fs-3:26.6px;
--fs-2:33.2px;
--fs-1:41.5px;
--fs-d:clamp(42px, 9vw, 81px);
}
*,*::before,*::after{box-sizing:border-box}
body{margin:0;background:var(--bg);color:var(--fg);font:400 var(--fs-body)/1.6 var(--font-b);-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased}
h1,h2,h3,h4{font-family:var(--font-d);font-weight:var(--h-weight);letter-spacing:var(--h-track);text-transform:var(--h-case);font-style:var(--h-style);line-height:var(--h-lh);margin:0 0 .4em}
h1{font-size:var(--fs-1)} h2{font-size:var(--fs-2)} h3{font-size:var(--fs-3)} h4{font-size:var(--fs-4)}
p{margin:0 0 1em}
a{color:inherit}
:focus-visible{outline:3px solid var(--accent);outline-offset:3px}
code,pre,kbd{font-family:var(--font-m)}
/* buttons */
.btn{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;gap:.5em;font:var(--btn-weight) 1rem/1 var(--font-b);text-transform:var(--btn-case);letter-spacing:var(--btn-track);padding:.85em 1.4em;border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);border-radius:var(--radius);background:var(--accent);color:var(--accent-fg);box-shadow:var(--shadow-sm);text-decoration:none;cursor:pointer;transition:transform .12s,box-shadow .12s,background-color .12s,color .12s}
.btn:hover{transform:translateY(-1px)}
.btn:active{transform:translateY(1px)}
.btn-2{background:var(--accent2);color:var(--accent2-fg)}
.btn-ghost{background:transparent;color:var(--fg);box-shadow:none}
.btn-sm{font-size:.85rem;padding:.6em 1em}
.btn-lg{font-size:1.15rem;padding:1em 1.7em}
.btn[disabled]{opacity:.45;cursor:not-allowed;transform:none}
/* forms */
.field{display:grid;gap:.4em;margin-bottom:1.1em}
.label{font-weight:600;font-size:.95rem}
.help{font-size:.85rem;color:var(--muted)}
.input,.select,.textarea{width:100%;font:1rem/1.4 var(--font-b);color:var(--fg);padding:.75em .9em;background:var(--field-bg);border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);border-radius:var(--radius-sm);box-shadow:var(--field-shadow);appearance:none}
.select{background-image:linear-gradient(45deg,transparent 50%,currentColor 50%),linear-gradient(135deg,currentColor 50%,transparent 50%);background-position:calc(100% - 20px) 55%,calc(100% - 14px) 55%;background-size:6px 6px;background-repeat:no-repeat;padding-right:2.4em}
.textarea{min-height:110px;resize:vertical}
.input:focus,.select:focus,.textarea:focus{outline:none;border-color:var(--accent);box-shadow:var(--field-shadow),0 0 0 3px var(--focus)}
.is-error .input{border-color:var(--danger)} .is-error .help{color:var(--danger)}
.choice{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:.6em;margin:.35em 0;cursor:pointer}
.check,.radio{appearance:none;width:1.25em;height:1.25em;margin:0;flex:none;border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);background:var(--field-bg);box-shadow:var(--field-shadow);display:grid;place-items:center;cursor:pointer}
.check{border-radius:calc(var(--radius-sm)/2)} .radio{border-radius:50%}
.check::after{content:"";width:.55em;height:.3em;border-left:2.5px solid var(--accent-fg);border-bottom:2.5px solid var(--accent-fg);transform:rotate(-45deg) translate(1px,-1px);opacity:0}
.radio::after{content:"";width:.5em;height:.5em;border-radius:50%;background:var(--accent-fg);opacity:0}
.check:checked,.radio:checked{background:var(--accent);border-color:var(--border)}
.check:checked::after,.radio:checked::after{opacity:1}
.switch{appearance:none;width:2.8em;height:1.6em;margin:0;flex:none;border-radius:999px;border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);background:var(--surface2);position:relative;cursor:pointer;transition:background .15s;box-shadow:var(--field-shadow)}
.switch::before{content:"";position:absolute;top:50%;left:.18em;width:1.1em;height:1.1em;border-radius:50%;background:var(--fg);transform:translateY(-50%);transition:left .15s}
.switch:checked{background:var(--accent)}
.switch:checked::before{left:calc(100% - 1.28em);background:var(--accent-fg)}
.range{width:100%;accent-color:var(--accent)}
/* surfaces */
.card{background:var(--surface);color:var(--fg);border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);border-radius:var(--radius);box-shadow:var(--shadow);padding:var(--pad);position:relative}
.card-media{aspect-ratio:16/9;border-radius:var(--radius-sm);background:var(--media);margin-bottom:1em}
.badge{display:inline-block;font:600 .75rem/1 var(--font-b);padding:.45em .75em;border-radius:var(--badge-radius);background:var(--accent2);color:var(--accent2-fg);border:var(--bw) solid var(--border)}
.alert{padding:1em 1.2em;border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);border-left:6px solid var(--c,var(--info));border-radius:var(--radius-sm);background:var(--surface);margin-bottom:.8em}
.alert b{color:var(--c,var(--info))}
.alert-ok{--c:var(--ok)} .alert-warn{--c:var(--warn)} .alert-danger{--c:var(--danger)}
.progress{height:.8em;border-radius:999px;background:var(--surface2);border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);overflow:hidden}
.progress i{display:block;height:100%;background:var(--accent)}
/* navigation */
.tabs{display:flex;gap:.25em;border-bottom:var(--bw) solid var(--border);flex-wrap:wrap}
.tab{font:600 .95rem var(--font-b);padding:.7em 1em;background:none;border:0;border-bottom:3px solid transparent;color:var(--muted);cursor:pointer;margin-bottom:calc(var(--bw) * -1)}
.tab[aria-selected="true"]{color:var(--fg);border-bottom-color:var(--accent)}
.crumbs{display:flex;gap:.5em;flex-wrap:wrap;font-size:.9rem;color:var(--muted);list-style:none;padding:0;margin:0}
.crumbs li+li::before{content:"/";margin-right:.5em;opacity:.6}
.pager{display:flex;gap:.4em;list-style:none;padding:0;margin:0;flex-wrap:wrap}
.pager a{display:grid;place-items:center;min-width:2.4em;height:2.4em;border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);border-radius:var(--radius-sm);text-decoration:none;background:var(--surface)}
.pager a[aria-current]{background:var(--accent);color:var(--accent-fg)}
/* table */
.table-wrap{overflow-x:auto;border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);border-radius:var(--radius-sm);background:var(--surface)}
.table{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:.95rem;min-width:460px}
.table th,.table td{text-align:left;padding:.75em 1em;border-bottom:1px solid color-mix(in srgb,var(--border) 30%,transparent)}
.table th{font-family:var(--font-d);font-weight:var(--h-weight)}
/* grid */
.row{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(12,minmax(0,1fr));gap:var(--gap)}
.col-3{grid-column:span 3}.col-4{grid-column:span 4}.col-5{grid-column:span 5}.col-6{grid-column:span 6}.col-7{grid-column:span 7}.col-8{grid-column:span 8}.col-12{grid-column:span 12}
@media (max-width:760px){.row{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);gap:min(var(--gap),16px)}.row>*{grid-column:auto!important;grid-row:auto!important}}
/* signature */
.btn{border-radius:999px;border:0}
.btn-ghost{border:1.5px solid var(--border)}
.card-media{border-radius:16px}
.badge{border:0;background:#7ED6B6;color:#2B2350}
.alert{border-left-width:1px;border-radius:14px}
.tab{border-radius:999px;border:0}
.tab[aria-selected="true"]{background:var(--surface2);color:var(--fg)}
.tabs{border:0}
/* dark theme: add class="alt" to <html> */
html.alt{
--bg:#1A1633;
--surface:#241F45;
--surface2:#201B3D;
--fg:#F4F1FF;
--muted:#B8B2DA;
--border:#3A3366;
--accent:#8C7FFF;
--code-bg:#110E24;
}
Three emphasis levels, three sizes and a disabled state. Keep one primary button per view.
<div class="demo-row">
<button class="btn">Primary</button>
<button class="btn btn-2">Secondary</button>
<button class="btn btn-ghost">Ghost</button>
<button class="btn" disabled>Disabled</button>
</div>
<div class="demo-row" style="margin-top:14px">
<button class="btn btn-sm">Small</button>
<button class="btn">Default</button>
<button class="btn btn-lg">Large</button>
</div>Text fields, choices and toggles share the same border, radius and focus ring, so a form reads as one family.
<form class="formgrid" onsubmit="return false">
<div>
<div class="field">
<label class="label" for="f-name">Full name</label>
<input class="input" id="f-name" placeholder="Ada Lovelace">
<span class="help">As it appears on your ID.</span>
</div>
<div class="field is-error">
<label class="label" for="f-mail">Email</label>
<input class="input" id="f-mail" type="email" value="ada@">
<span class="help">Enter a complete email address.</span>
</div>
<div class="field">
<label class="label" for="f-plan">Plan</label>
<select class="select" id="f-plan"><option>Starter</option><option>Studio</option><option>Team</option></select>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="field">
<label class="label" for="f-msg">Message</label>
<textarea class="textarea" id="f-msg" placeholder="Tell us about your project"></textarea>
</div>
<fieldset class="field" style="border:0;padding:0;margin:0 0 1.1em">
<legend class="label">Interests</legend>
<label class="choice"><input type="checkbox" class="check" checked> Typography</label>
<label class="choice"><input type="checkbox" class="check"> Motion</label>
</fieldset>
<fieldset class="field" style="border:0;padding:0;margin:0 0 1.1em">
<legend class="label">Billing</legend>
<label class="choice"><input type="radio" name="bill" class="radio" checked> Monthly</label>
<label class="choice"><input type="radio" name="bill" class="radio"> Yearly</label>
</fieldset>
<label class="choice"><input type="checkbox" class="switch" checked> Email me updates</label>
<div class="field" style="margin-top:1em">
<label class="label" for="f-range">Budget</label>
<input class="range" id="f-range" type="range" value="60">
</div>
<button class="btn">Send request</button>
</div>
</form>A container for one idea. Media sits on top, then a badge, title, short text and one action.
<div class="auto">
<article class="card">
<div class="card-media"></div>
<span class="badge">New</span>
<h4 style="margin-top:.6em">Card title</h4>
<p>Short supporting text that explains what this card is about.</p>
<a class="btn btn-sm" href="#">Read more</a>
</article>
<article class="card">
<div class="card-media" style="filter:hue-rotate(40deg)"></div>
<span class="badge">Guide</span>
<h4 style="margin-top:.6em">Second card</h4>
<p>Cards in a row share height and spacing, so the grid stays calm.</p>
<a class="btn btn-sm btn-2" href="#">Open</a>
</article>
</div>Alerts, badges and progress tell people what just happened and what to do next.
<div class="alert"><b>Info.</b> Your draft saves every 30 seconds.</div>
<div class="alert alert-ok"><b>Saved.</b> Changes are live on your site.</div>
<div class="alert alert-warn"><b>Check this.</b> Two images are missing alt text.</div>
<div class="alert alert-danger"><b>Upload failed.</b> Files must be under 10 MB. Try a smaller file.</div>
<div class="demo-row" style="margin-top:14px">
<span class="badge">Default</span>
<span class="badge" style="background:var(--accent);color:var(--accent-fg)">Accent</span>
</div>
<div style="margin-top:18px"><div class="progress" role="progressbar" aria-valuenow="64" aria-valuemin="0" aria-valuemax="100" aria-label="Upload progress"><i style="width:64%"></i></div></div>Tables scroll sideways on small screens instead of squashing columns.
| Project | Owner | Status | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homepage | Rūta | Review | 12 Oct |
| Checkout | Tomas | Draft | 19 Oct |
| Onboarding | Ieva | Live | 2 Oct |
<div class="table-wrap">
<table class="table">
<thead><tr><th>Project</th><th>Owner</th><th>Status</th><th>Due</th></tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr><td>Homepage</td><td>Rūta</td><td><span class="badge">Review</span></td><td>12 Oct</td></tr>
<tr><td>Checkout</td><td>Tomas</td><td><span class="badge">Draft</span></td><td>19 Oct</td></tr>
<tr><td>Onboarding</td><td>Ieva</td><td><span class="badge">Live</span></td><td>2 Oct</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>A ready prompt for AI design and coding tools. It names exact tokens and bans the usual defaults, so the output keeps this style's point of view.
Design a responsive landing page for a team collaboration tool, redesigned to escape the Corporate Memphis cliché in an authentic Corporate Memphis style.
Palette: Warm white #FFF8F2, Violet #5B4BDB, Peach #FFB199, Mint #7ED6B6, Sunny #FFD166, Deep indigo #2B2350.
Typography: Poppins 700 for headings and 400 for body.
Layout: Two-column hero: headline and text left, a flat illustrated figure with long limbs, a tiny head, violet clothing and a mint blob behind it on the right.
Signature details: Flat shapes, no outlines, pastel palette with one violet, large radius, soft shadows, potted plant or blob accents.
Components: Pill buttons, soft cards, mint badges, pill tabs.
Motion: A slow waving arm and a morphing blob.
Avoid: copying known brand illustrations, using the style unedited as a default, faceless crowds as the only human element.
Do not fall back on generic AI defaults: no centered hero with a gradient blob, no identical rounded cards with soft grey shadows, no purple-to-blue gradients, no emoji icons, unless this style explicitly calls for them.
Accessibility: body text contrast of at least 4.5:1, visible keyboard focus on every control, labels on all form fields, and respect prefers-reduced-motion.
Deliver one self-contained HTML file with CSS variables for every color, font, radius and shadow token.Where this style usually goes wrong, and how to keep it honest.
Your brand looks like hundreds of others. If you use it, twist it hard.
Faceless figures can feel empty. Real photos or specific characters build more trust.
AI tools love this look. Using it unedited signals no design decision was made.
Many companies built their own versions. Borrowing theirs is still copying.