If what you are building is truly unique, why would the visual aesthetic of your brand be the same as others?

Last week, I was invited to be a guest lecturer at UC Berkeley School of Information. 👩🏻‍💻

I built my lecture around the topic of “Sameness is Sadness”. I think Mike Cessario, the founder of Liquid Death, said it best, “Our brains are wired to just repeat the things we’ve seen be successful in the past. You kind of have to trick your brain to come up with a bad idea to truly be thinking in innovative territory.” He created a $700 million business by thinking how he could make healthy water look like a natural fit for festivals, house parties, and bars.

A few points-of-view I shared with the students:

1. Being different (in visual aesthetics) can be your advantage, or disadvantage if there is no real purpose. What are you trying to signal?

2. Visual aesthetics play an important role in driving and growing your business, rallying your team, and connecting with the right audiences. This is often de-prioritized or overlooked in the start-up world.

3. To stand out, you must get over the discomfort of being “first”.

It was inspiring to be with such a smart group of data scientists, engineers, and product designers, and to have the opportunity to share my thoughts around creative strategy.

Thank you Kimiko Ryokai for this kind opportunity, again. ❤️🙏🏽 And remember good strategy is deliberately choosing to be different.