1. The [anti-brand] is progressive in theory, absurd in practice. And that's why we predict that brands will follow
[Burberry's example] of returning to more intriguing identities.
Stripping a brand of its character so it could be shaped by the consumers themselves instead of moulding how the brand should be perceived (the essence of branding), sounds visionary. If generic black-on-white designs were the only price to pay, then we could perhaps overlook the boringness factor. But we don't believe in the big idea behind deadpan (meaning sterile) design. Our beef with the concept:
Purposefully making yourself unrecognisable only (sort of) works for well-known brands that have already reaped the benefits of branding. Which leads to the fundamental problem: consumers already have opinions on these big brands based on decades of influence through marketing. Plus, it's no secret that messaging and tone of voice are huge parts of a brand. Even if you erase a brand's visual character, you can't rid it off its personality. Anti-branding works for no one. We're looking forward to brands going "backward", back to distinctive visual and narrative branding.
2. Nostalgia is in because memories of the past give us comfort in uncertain times. Brands can utilise this psychological effect to build a positive emotional connection more effortlessly. And who doesn't love a bit of retro flair anyway??
3. Creatives who learn Blender, skip the infamous [donut tutorial]. The link is only there so you know what video to avoid 🙂. Make something fun and you'll actually want to continue learning. 3D is the future. Well, we have thoughts on that but we'll keep them for another edition.
