It’s a new year, and while I’m not one to make resolutions, I decided to go dry this January (well, my closet is anyway).
I’m somebody who loves clothes. My closet brings me great joy. And I’m privileged to have been able to amass a delightful collection of clothing over the years.
But I’m also loathe to get rid of things that are still beautiful and in good condition, which means my closet is packed. We’re talking Tetris-level-packed.
January feels like a natural time to take a fresh look at things. All the things. Including my clothes shopping habit. So, I’m aiming for a no/low buy January (which hopefully 🤞🏼 turns into a dry 2022).
How does that saying go? A goal without a plan is just a wish…so as part of that I decided to kick things off by reorganizing my closet on New Year’s Day. It used to be arranged by garment type (all the dresses together here, all the pants together there, etc.). But, I’m a wild and crazy gal. I switched it up, and my clothes are now arranged by color. It looks like a rainbow every time I open the closet, which definitely ups the fun factor!
I was feeling good! I thought, “hey let's swap the location of my bags/purses/wallets for my shoes and boots.” But my 1-hour rainbow closet project took an unexpected turn. And in the process of this re-org, I discovered something.
My cherished vintage wallets (that belonged to my mother and grandmother) had developed some unsightly mold.
I used my trusty mold-crusher mixture*, and meticulously cleaned each piece to refresh it. This turned the closet re-org into a 3-day affair.
But it turned out to be a good thing. After reorganizing and giving the space a good cleaning** - I had to take a step back in awe of how awesome my closet looks now. And it doesn’t just look nice - it’s more functional.
It’s inspiring me to see new outfit combinations and new iterations of looks that I can play and experiment with. And yeah. Ok. It adds more fun and creativity to my daily “getting dressed” routine by forcing me to turn in a tighter circle. Instead of spending money and adding yet more new clothes into the mix that I don’t need and can’t fit into the small space, I can shop my closet better and build outfits that look and feel familiar, yet new.
This idea isn’t just for closets. It applies to marketing and branding as well. Effective visual identity systems enable you to bring your brand to life in ways that feel familiar, yet new. That’s because your brand is not a static thing. Brands are behaviors. And sometimes you gotta mix things up a bit.
Hey, I get it. Sometimes it can feel like your brand’s look and feel needs an overhaul - maybe it feels static, stale, or just limited or doesn’t have enough diversity. Maybe you inherited it from a previous team and you’re just bored with seeing it day in and day out.
You’re not alone. Many marketers think the solution is a complete brand renovation. And in a few cases, they're right.
But oftentimes, this boredom, this dissatisfaction you feel with your brand’s VIS may stem from how you are (and are not) activating it.
To that I say, shake what your mama gave you.
Before you toss it all out and go through the process of a total rebrand - take a look at your current brand elements with fresh eyes. Assess how you’re using your current identity system (an outside design team can be super helpful with this). And play with it. Mix it up. Push it to the boundaries. Break it and see what happens.
At the end of the day, you might decide a complete overhaul is indeed what’s required. But you also might find that with a bit of reorganization, tweaks to how the current system is being activated, and with a bit of sprucing up - it just needs small refinements to feel fresh and new again. Not unlike my wardrobe.
What about you? What can you take a look at with fresh eyes in this new year? Drop a comment below and let me know.
*Mix equal parts of plain cool water and rubbing alcohol in a clean container. Wipe down the leather using a clean cloth dipped in the mixture. Use a cotton swab to reach the crevices and other hard-to-reach areas if needed. Let dry completely before storing.
**Oh, and investing in a dehumidifier.