Prepped, Primed And Polished Design Is Uninteresting!
“Embrace visual chaos, imperfection, and conflict”
Perfectly prepped, primed, and polished design (not art) isn’t visually stimulating — it’s boring! Browse the social media feeds of businesses in Trinidad and Tobago; something about them all feels similar. Beyond the colors, fonts, iPhone quality and AI looking imagery, they feel soulless. Something that makes them different to what’s visually out there to capture the viewer’s attention is missing.
What is it?
Petting The Kitten In The Opposing Direction
Brands that stand out visually symbolize a bigger goal that operates on two opposing frequencies.
Apple is against people who see the world one way, so through simplicity vs innovation, they celebrate different-thinking people! Some of my Christian values influence why TheBrandTUB is against entrepreneurs who cut corners or hide who they are to fit in. Which is why my content looks and sounds the way it does. Through chaos and brilliance, I want to attract people longing to let their freak flag fly.
It’s only when the kitten is stroked in the opposite direction that it reacts, and the experience becomes interesting.
Unfortunately we live in woke times — everyone’s a wimp now!
And in the spirit of wimpsness, Ads like Carnival Baby are considered offensive.
Well what is offensive to some, feels like a backbone to others! And when design is done without that relationship element in your branding, you look similar and feel soulless even making what you’re saying ineffective!
What’s your big goal and what are the opposing sides to your relationship?
Now if chatGPT tries to convince you that this union is an identity crisis, understand without the goal, there’s no cause for your target audience to rally around and without the combativeness, there is no justification for differentiation. So use your gut on this!
- How does your use of color play a part in your storytelling?
- Chaos, when done authentically, can create the laughter that leads to a comment!
- Mellowing out something you should have said a certain way may be the reason you sound like everyone else.
- Words bleeding off the page might be weird, but it can motivate someone to click to read what’s on the canvas.
Now, this isn’t an invitation to make your visual brand look like a five-year-old's art project. Design has rules, and rules can certainly be broken, just not at the cost of looking amateurish.
Still, sometimes amateurs rush in where the humble fear to tread.
Just be warned.
Brand Design Confidence
Alright, after reading this article, florals, nudes, and expressive fonts would look lame.
You might be wondering how to apply your instincts here. Fair enough!
To know what works in your branding and why, you need clarity on the brand’s point of conflict to go against the grain of what’s currently out there visually and verbally in these Trinidad and Tobago social media streets.
Maybe you’ve heard going viral or creating 5–7 pieces of content is how you get someone to move. But after all that work, your content can still feel familiar and boring to the prospect if you’ve jumped the gun on the critical design element this article is addressing.
I am the Founder and Visual Brand Strategist at The BrandTUB
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