Life Imitates Art
Hello Readers,
I hope you’re well! This is another photo essay, in a series I’m calling brand studies.
I’m experimenting with new things here, and hope you love it! Please comment or 💖 below.
- Morgan
I’ve always loved stories. Good books, the story on the back of a cereal box or protein bar, an ad on the subway - I’ll read it all. I know an uncanny amount of information about most brands I purchase from. The masterful storyteller, brand, or artist reveals their inner truth to forge a bond with the consumer.
Storytelling can be done through art, acting, writing, creative pursuits, or a person’s state of being. Today’s essay will focus on storytelling through art.
On Rothy’s
One of my favorite examples of this is Rothy’s.
Gretchen Rohers is a gifted artist. Her personal website is a testament to her creativity.
She is best known for her “edible ensembles,” but I love her sketches, which are beautifully intertwined with Rothys’ brand (Rohers is the Art Director at Rothy’s). Her direction informs how the brand speaks.
It’s Personal
I’ve always been captivated by hand drawn (or the appearance of hand drawn) brand style. Recently, the below logo (1) for podcast, Life in the Peloton, which is hosted by pro cyclist, Mitch Docker drew me in. The podcast has an Etsy page for merchandise.
The above screenshot (2) is Justin Gage’s angel investment portfolio. Creativity and personality come through in a mere glance at the website.
Waffle House’s merchandise (3) is also en vogue as the brand embraces a nostalgic style.
These three brands each possess a deep understanding of what makes them different, and transform that into a resonant identity.
Art History: Conveying Recurring Stories
My favorite class (in high school, and maybe ever) was AP Art History. The textbook covered how people express themselves across time. It was breathtaking to see the techniques, inspiration, and fundamentals stretched over thousands of years. The subject was at once historic and forward-leaning. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Art history is similar stories conveyed in new ways across time.
Take colorful chunky bead bracelets.
I remember such bracelets fondly from my childhood. Roxanne Assoulin brought them back, with a modern twist. I love being along for the ride on her amazing Instagram. She posts “luxury classics” as inspiration constantly. She is authentically Roxanne, and it’s fun to follow along with her muses.
What’s old.. is new again.
This is a recurring motif - in art, as in life.
Of course, a brand is an amalgamation of voice, branding, team, market, and an innumerable amount of other things. This newsletter is a testament to people and brands that do art well. People and brands who have developed captive audiences
In this famous 1997 video, Steve Jobs asserted:
To me, marketing is about values. This is a very complicated world. It’s a very noisy world. And we’re not going to get a chance to get people to remember much about us. No company is. And so we have to be really clear about what we want them to know about us….
One of my favorite quotes, “those people that think they are crazy enough to change the world are the ones that do” came from this speech.
Jobs’ speech focuses on what a brand makes you feel. The brands detailed above have made me feel recently. The way artists express themselves and their affiliated brands, when thoughtful and consistent, is captivating.
Nostalgia. Inspiration. Humor.
Storytellers compel, involve, and convince.
We’ve covered the former pair of topics, compelling and involving. Convincing, to me, is selling - where the rubber meets the road.
If you got to the bottom of this essay, please 💖 below! And stay tuned for a sister essay, End State, which will dig into the power of storytelling through a different lens.
If you didn’t enjoy this newsletter, you should still stay tuned for a brand new topic!!