[matrix]

The main point they author is making is:

"the prevalence of a single, monocultural aesthetic that seemingly almost every startup and tech company and would-be industry disruptor out there has adopted, it’s worth wondering if there’s some other voice—or even a different modulation of this same voice—that could be appropriate."

This, of course, extends far beyond illustration (the topic of the article - the examples provided are striking). I would love to see more variety - especially for styling UI components because I think we can do so much better than Material Design/Metro or Bootstrap.

[richforrester]

Don't mind having a go at answering the appropriateness of this vector-based style, from a design/psychological perspective;

It might be inherent to the mathemetical precision of this drawing style. The clean-cut shapes and geometrical shapes imply a strict adherence to rules, purposeful determination and look clean, clear and predicatable.

In short: they make your product look well thought out.

As opposed to a sketchy drawing style. (Sketchy. What's in a name?)

[protoplant]

I do not think "they make your product look well thought out." is why.

I think the need is to read a clean, clear symbol instantly. Apple, Golden Arch, Handicap-Sign. Because of this, a lot of design majors learn this branding style. Readability is super important in mono-culture, so is clean interface.

Furthermore, vectors are used due to their ability to scale to any-size, and the standard tool, Illustrator, just more naturally makes this look than say a St Gaudans Buffalo Nickel design.

It's a typical copycat style that happens in design and art. Around 2005, I noticed flying bird silhouettes everywhere.