Hey Brand Boss,
Everything is starting to look the same.
The same photography.
The same fonts.
The same packaging.
The same campaigns.
The same references saved to the same mood boards.
And it is not because people suddenly stopped being creative.
We are just being inspired by the same things.
Pinterest.
Instagram.
TikTok.
Behance.
The algorithm keeps feeding us what is already working, and eventually we start creating different versions of the same idea.
Inspiration is not the problem.
The source of your inspiration might be.
When inspiration becomes imitation
There is nothing wrong with saving references.
I do it.
You should do it.
Mood boards are powerful because they help us communicate a feeling, direction, texture, energy or idea.
But a mood board should be a starting point.
Not the final destination.
If every image on your board came from Pinterest, and those images were saved by thousands of other creatives building their own boards, how different can the final result really become?
You are creating from someone else's references.
Who was probably creating from someone else's references.
Who was probably creating from someone else's references.
Eventually everything gets watered down.
Build your own visual library
Some of your best references might not be online.
They might be sitting right outside your door.
Start paying attention.
Take a picture of the texture on an old building.
Photograph the way sunlight hits a wall.
Save the typography from a restaurant menu.
Notice the color combination on someone's outfit.
Look at architecture.
Furniture.
Books.
Nature.
Film.
Art.
Packaging from another decade.
The weird sign you passed on your way to get coffee.
Anything can become a reference.
Your camera roll can become one of your greatest creative resources.
Because now you are not just collecting what the algorithm decided was interesting.
You are collecting what YOU decided was interesting.
And that difference matters.
What strong brands do differently
Strong brands do not create in a vacuum.
They are inspired too.
But they know how to pull from different worlds and turn those references into something that feels like their own.
Fashion can inspire packaging.
Architecture can inspire a website.
A movie can inspire a campaign.
A building can inspire a color palette.
A photograph you took three months ago can become the starting point for an entire visual identity.
The goal is not to stop looking at Pinterest.
The goal is to stop letting Pinterest do all the looking for you.
Use it to catapult the idea.
Then go somewhere else.
Bring another influence into the room.
That is where things start getting interesting.
Quick Win
The 50 Percent Rule
Open your current mood board.
Look at where every reference came from.
Now challenge yourself to replace at least 50 percent of those references with something you found yourself.
A photo from your camera roll.
A piece of architecture.
A book cover.
A texture.
A film still.
An object.
A piece of art.
Something completely outside your industry.
Do not ask:
What else looks like this?
Ask:
What else makes me feel like this?
That question will take your creativity somewhere completely different.
Before you go
Being inspired is not the problem.
Looking where everyone else is looking is.
Pinterest can inspire you.
Instagram can inspire you.
Other brands can inspire you.
But your perspective should be bigger than your feed.
Look around.
Pay attention.
Document what catches your eye.
Build your own library of references.
Because the more personal your inputs become, the harder your output becomes to copy.
And that is where originality starts.
If this resonated and you are ready to refine your brand at a deeper level, reach out.
Serious inquiries only.
With Purpose,
Victor Luis
BADASS BRAND BOSS
A Vidd Media Publication
[email protected]