What does the That Would Be Great meme mean?

Widely recognizable template for a familiar image macro that works best with short top and bottom text. The point is the shape of the joke, not the picture on its own.

When do you use the That Would Be Great meme?

Use it when your situation actually matches this: a specific social situation where the visual expression carries the joke. If the caption needs a paragraph to work, reach for a simpler format instead.

How do you write a good That Would Be Great caption?

Short setup plus punchline. Keep each line short, concrete, and format-native — let the template carry the setup.

That Would Be Great

Reviewed format guide

Widely recognizable template for a familiar image macro that works best with short top and bottom text.

Preview temporarily unavailable. The format still opens in the free generator.

That Would Be Great template

Why this format lasts

Gary Cole as Bill Lumbergh holding a coffee cup in 1999's Office Space. It captures the dead-eyed, passive-aggressive corporate boss making unreasonable demands under the guise of casual politeness.

How the format works

use concise setup and punchline text that names the situation without explaining the format

When to use it

a specific social situation where the visual expression carries the joke

How a brand uses this

Bill Lumbergh is pure passive-aggressive middle management. Use him when your tool eliminates a tedious corporate compliance task nobody actually wants to do, or to mock executive requests delivered with polite menace at 4:45 PM on a Friday.

Steal these starting points:

setup: If you could stop testing in production / punchline: That would be great
setup: If everyone could read the doc before the call / punchline: That would be great
setup: If you could format your CSV properly / punchline: That would be great

When NOT to use it

When the joke is just a recap; the format needs a stance or turn
Using the template as two headline labels instead of creating the native comic turn

Example captions

turn the fact into behavior, cope, reversal, or status mismatch
Setup: doing it the old way / Punchline: the obviously better way
Setup: what we planned / Punchline: what shipped

How to make a That Would Be Great meme

Open this format in the free generator.
Write the setup and punchline. Keep each label concrete and short enough to scan.
Render the PNG, adjust any crowded line, then download or share it. No signup required.

FAQ

What does the That Would Be Great meme mean?: Widely recognizable template for a familiar image macro that works best with short top and bottom text. The point is the shape of the joke, not the picture on its own.
When do you use the That Would Be Great meme?: Use it when your situation actually matches this: a specific social situation where the visual expression carries the joke. If the caption needs a paragraph to work, reach for a simpler format instead.
How do you write a good That Would Be Great caption?: Short setup plus punchline. Keep each line short, concrete, and format-native — let the template carry the setup.

Template references

External references for the blank template and broader format history:

← More General Macro · All formats