This is written by Jonathan Hoefler. Not reading it on principle.
While the lawsuit seems very one-sided, there are plently of lessons to be learned here... and I’m not sure how any of it applies to a single article.
What was perceived by one partner and onlookers (perhaps based on the name) as a 50/50 partnership turned out to be anything but.
Although a settlement was reached in the H&FJ lawsuit, which probably involved Tobias Frere-Jones receiving payment of some sorts, it’s hard to see Hoefler profiting from work that he (morally, at least) stole.
https://d31td5fkd89rr1.cloudfront.net/assets/images/blog/des...
It's only the lower part of the image that's of interest as an example; to use low contrast on the (mostly irrelevant) upper part of the image makes it easier to focus on the part that's discussed in the text. IMHO.
Also the actual first image bothers me in a similar way: the colors seem to blend into the background.
I concede it might not be a very valid reason to give up on the article but since it seems to be an ad for a set of products I find it fitting to judge it on appearance.