You know that show you tell everyone to watch? The one where every season somehow gets better and the writers didn't lose the plot or forget what made it great in the first place?
Most shows aren't that show and most brands aren't either.
I finally figured out why.
The ones you can't stop thinking about stay consistent in three dimensions:
How they Sound. The language, the tone, the personality. Would you recognize them without the logo?
How they Look. The visual identity, the aesthetic, the design choices. Do they own a look or follow the category?
How they Feel. The experience, the vibe, the emotional residue. Do they make you feel something or just feel... fine?
Most brands are like most shows: promising pilot, messy middle, forgettable ending. They launch with a distinct voice and then dilute it to appeal to everyone. They start with a bold look and then soften it because someone got nervous. They create an experience that feels fresh and then optimize the magic right out of it.
The great ones are rare because consistency is hard and restraint is harder. Every season, every campaign, every touchpoint is a chance to drift. The brands that compound instead of reset are the ones that become unforgettable.
Here's a quick gut check, call it the Three Seasons Test:
If someone experienced your brand today versus three years ago, would they recognize it immediately? Not just the logo. The sound, the look, the feel. Has it deepened or diluted?
That's the difference between a brand that builds and one that just exists.
Three seasons in and still delivering.
I'm working on something about creativity. What questions do you have about it? Reply and let me know.
— Michelle
Un-Boring Brand of the Week: Fishwife
Fishwife launched in 2020 and entered one of the most boring categories in the grocery store: canned fish. The big players had been doing the same thing since the 1930s. No personality. No design. No story.
Fishwife came in with illustrated packaging that felt like art and a voice that was playful without being precious and a commitment to treating every single touchpoint with intention.
Five years later they haven't rebranded. They haven't softened. Same illustrator (Danny Miller, an actual artist, not a "branding expert"). Same irreverent voice. Same feeling when you open a tin.
Founder Becca Millstein put it simply: "We treat every single thing we make at Fishwife as art."
That's the energy. They took a dusty, brandless category and built something with Sound, Look, and Feel so distinct that you'd recognize it without the name. And they've stayed consistent while scaling from a pandemic side project to Whole Foods shelves and Shark Tank.
Three seasons in and still delivering.