Discourse erupted around the appropriate use of the term "slop" after someone panned a new Graza Mayo packaging design as "Canva-slop." These days, people most commonly use the word "slop" to describe AI-generated images and videos to distinguish them from art that requires actual effort.
The Canva basher soon faced her own backlash from those who think social media primes folks to start a fight over anything.
What counts as "slop"?
X user @rebekah_e_s landed a hit tweet on Tuesday with her opinion on the design style of the new Graza condiment bottles, saying she "cannot wait for the era of canva-slop graphic design to end." The new labels feature mildly anthropomorphized versions of vegetables reminiscent of early 1900s cartoons.
The company also adjusted the font style to make it more whimsical, adding quotation marks around words like "Fancy" and "Garlic" to underscore the old-timey aesthetic.
Whatever Graza was going for, it appears to be part of a trend leaning toward more stylistic graphic design. This may have something to do with common complaints that modern labels and logos are too plain and boring.
Even Rebekah had to admit that these styles stand out from the pack, writing, "with that said, it does work on me." She shared the new Yellow Bird hot sauce labels that emphasize the actual yellow bird above the name.
While it's unlikely that either company used Canva for their rebranding efforts, fans of the platform did not appreciate the slander. The freemium software utilizes a drag-and-drop system with templates that helps people without formal design training create content like presentations or images for social media posts.
It's a limited, streamlined method for making digital art, but it's nothing like the large language models that we call "AI." The apparent comparison via the use of the word "slop" therefore drew out the AI haters.
"I’d rather have this than ANY AI slop"
While not everyone likes the new Graza branding, the strong majority of commenters took issue with the term "Canva-slop." Some defended the design, but the focus of the ire centered on what many felt was a misuse of a pejorative that they would like to reserve for AI content.
"I do get why people are tired of these since they remind us of many things wrong with modern consumerism, but as an illustrator, I’m happy to see non-AI, non-minimalist design with actual attention to aesthetic in the market," said @buldakchallenge.
"Literally shut the [expletive] up, I’d rather have this than ANY AI slop," wrote @sadpisces92.
Others took Rebekah's post as an example of what social media is doing to us all.
User @stuartfdrake declared that "this website is so perfect for people who love to complain," adding, "those designs are fine, you are just bored, and you’ve developed an instinct (encouraged by this app) to find something to sh*t on when you are bored."
"I think this generation’s negative anticipation and awareness of when certain trends and things are going to end makes us the most miserable and unpleasant generation to be with," @ranokserem predicted, "we can't change until we stop being so focused on things being pristine and not cringe."
Meanwhile, @loveydoveybetch suggested that Rebekah "just enjoy the fun packaging" and accused her of being "#miserable over some mayo."
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