Slow growth + rebrand + competitor research = bad idea

I’ve been reading up on VC’s and investor stories, and there’s some interesting ones about how founders handle stalled growth. 👀

One mistake I kept reading about: rebranding when the business is doing poorly.

Oooh, it gets juicy. It’s the next panic move on what to do next.

When your shockingly fast momentum suddenly slows, people assume the problem is the presentation. So you look around. And scroll. And save.

Start a little competitor research. Do a double-take on your logo and colors.

Now you’re seeing it in a different light.

The dangerous part happens: You start reimagining your brand and designing it to look like what’s working for someone else.

I’ve handed over enough design templates and website tutorials to know one thing...

People like to tweak and edit and meddle.

But suddenly they know how to look for fonts and it looks really good, really techy for your startup. Or your creative agency.

Or the entrepreneur example: sketch-style drawings of dinner table items but suddenly they’re on everyone’s brands. Equivalent to the wavy paint lines of the boho millennials (I’m allowed to say this as one).

Remember this thing that went around in 2019? The “blanding” of the brands? That’s kind of what’s going on.

Here’s some tough love: A rebrand won’t fix your stalled growth.

Copying tech websites, hotels, CPG packaging… none of that is going to help you with the long-term problem.

Of course rebranding is a power move, as long as it’s not PANIC-rebranding.

Your slow seasons are not a sign to fiddle with your colors.

But you should be honest about what happened.

Did you push an offer they weren’t ready for? Did you push an AI feature when nobody wanted it? Did you remove real conversations in place of automation?

Slow seasons are better off slow before the hustle. Give yourself enough reflection time before you get to your (hopefully well-researched) winning strategies.

This week: Ritual collections - how brands insert themselves into everyday routines.

What better way to give people context than a well-curated post? You have to know your customers well, because it’s not just a matter of the products. Things that also matter - the DESIGN, the subcategory, the specific type of people.

→ Tony’s shows a lot of snacks found at health food stores.

→ Arrae knows their audience is into skincare, wellness, matcha, and natural products.

→ It could be generational too, like the target users for Brunch’s slippers and doing a collab with Eggo waffles in a 90’s ad style.

Playing with bento grids and animations.

Other projects I’m working on:

• Receiving my new weekly planner cards and business cards today!

• Brushing up on some hand lettering for a logo project

• Developing a one-pager on Framer

• Mapping out fun places to visit around Joshua Tree

Hire me for brand, web or marketing design - and I have just a couple of spots for a design retainers!

If your brand feels like it needs more creative breathing room so you open up more opportunities for yourself, hit reply and let’s chat or go to my page and see more.