Musings
of a Misfit

I love brands that feel like there's more to discover. Liiiike...you stumble across the business and suddenly you're 15 minutes deep into their Instagram page or reading the names of every product as you scroll their website. That's what discovering your next obsession looks like, and of course, you want your brand to become your audience's next obsession too. So, how do we do that? Well, it all begins with a story. No...You don't need to write an entire novel. You don't need

Whimsy is trending right now, but for some of us, whimsy has been in our hearts for our entire lives. When it comes to whimsical branding, it doesn’t have to mean bright colors, playful doodles, or something overly cute. A whimsical brand can feel nostalgic, theatrical, romantic, strange, fantastical...or like it belongs somewhere that doesn’t quite exist. The best whimsical branding creates a sense of discovery. From vintage-inspired typography and unusual color palettes to

One month you're obsessed with castlecore. Then it's Victorian mourning, vintage circus, and 1970s horror posters. Maybe it's a specific movie you watched 3 nights ago that you can't get out of your head. If you're a highly visual person like me, eventually the thought creeps in: "...should my brand look more like this?" Maybe. But that doesn't mean you need to rebrand!! One: Don't make your brand fit the obsession. Figure out what the obsession looks like inside your brand's

When you think "Gothic", traditional colors like black, deep blood red, and dark purple may come to mind. But Gothic doesn't have a set color palette. When everyone pulls from the same handful of references, it all starts feeling a little derivative. Brands use the same symbols, colors, and words...and it becomes one haunting castle in a sea of haunting castles. Whether you're crafting your brand, your home, or your wardrobe... Here are 5 alternate colors that still feel dark

You're probably like me: The type of girl that doesn't do things halfway. Even if I'm doing something as mundane as watching my favorite movie at home, I'm dressing in theme to sit on my couch. Yeah, Victorian nightgown and all. Because to me, the experience is the point. I want full immersion. Branding should be the same way. It's not something you get done because you "have to". It's not something you do purely to stand out or become recognizable (although, branding achiev

You probably noticed when dark aesthetics spilled into the mainstream a handful of years ago. E-boys and e-girls ruled TikTok, moody feeds took over Instagram, and Booktok became filled with dark romance. Gothic films and series found their way back into pop culture, and with them came a surge of new “dark” brands. For many of us, this isn’t a trend. It’s been in our blood for years. Decades. We’ve loved these stories, sounds, and symbols long before they became an algorithm’

Gothic revival isn’t a trend to me. It's likely not a trend for you either. It's the interests we've carried with us our entire lives. It's the thing that has made us... strange. But, gothic aesthetics and media aren't underground right now. It's everywhere... Walking red carpets. Haunting headlines. Worn by celebrities like Jenna Ortega, Julia Fox, Charli XCX, and even Brooke Shields. Even your cousin who used to call your style ‘Halloween-y’ is wearing a corset top and thin

Have you ever been head-over-heels in love with your brand, only to look at it one day and feel completely disconnected from it?? The...