This opinion is about 10 years out of date. Lego now forces their designers to mostly use simple pieces and colors; if they want a specialized piece they have to gain support from many other designers and only the most popular pieces are created. Otherwise, the designers have to make do with pieces that mostly would have looked familiar 40 years ago. It's a really refreshing change and I'm happy that it's helped Lego to return to profitability and domination of their market.