Great article, submit to the AGA's TAG
I use a slope to keep the front to back looking fuller.
Dutch style does not typically.
I pull the front edge of the gravel down to the nub in front, like the dutch style, no one wants to see gravel in the front of tank view.
Fruit stand style is just for color and contrast for that purpose, not to adhere to much else. Sometimes you can use a row.......I prefer triangles and irregular shapes and less on rows.
Still, even with this style, the Dutch idea about plant species number should be seriously considered. Neither looks good with too many species.
Wood divides the space in my tanks, but this was to fill the void between trims, but it's a contrast either way. And if you sell plants etc, gives some new room to grow so you can sell in a week or two after you trim again.
In the past, I'd use Cork as a background, then attach plants to that. So similar to Dutch style not wanting to see the background, I planted it, but was not interested in moss backgrounds so much. Messy generally. That does not blend well with neat and organized. But perhaps you want some chaos added, but not too much? Well, moss walls never seemed good to me for that issue.
For tank height, 20-24" is best, less than 20 " really places a lot of trimming burden on the aquascaper, and the stems often do not develop to their full glory without more added height.
The more depth you have front to back, the better.