Let's Talk About Pirates and Princesses.
The system isn't meant to be the show - it's meant to be invisible, guiding your customers straight to the good stuff.
Picture this:
You're 8 years old, standing in front of a towering wall of tiny wooden drawers. The smell of aged paper and wood polish fills your nose. Your fingers trace the brass handles of an old library card catalog.
Click. Pull. Shuffle.
That satisfying sensation? It wasn't an accident.
Those card catalogs were the iPhone interfaces of their time - a revolutionary system that turned chaos into clarity. And hidden in their design is a BIG OLE™ branding lesson.
Here's why:
Every. Single. Drawer. Every card. Every library. From the bustling streets of New York to the quiet corners of Portland, Maine - they all followed the exact same system. A system so intuitive that a third-grader could master it in minutes.
(Fun fact: If you're under 30, you might need to Google this piece of analog artistry. Trust me, it's worth it.)
But here's the BIG OLE™ insight:
Nobody ever called a card catalog "boring" despite its rigid consistency. Why? Because those rigid drawers housed stories of pirates, princesses, and far-off planets. The system wasn't the star - it was the stage that let the magic happen.
🔥 The Unignorable Brand Takeaway:
Your brand is your modern-day card catalog. The system isn't meant to be the show - it's meant to be invisible, guiding your customers straight to the good stuff.
Ready to build your brand's card catalog? Here's your action plan:
Audit your customer touchpoints. Every email, every social post, every interaction should feel as familiar as pulling open that wooden drawer.
Create your brand's "card format." Define the non-negotiables: your voice, your visuals, your values. Write them down. Make them law.
Fill those drawers with magic. Once your system is solid, pour your personality into it. Tell stories. Share insights. Create moments.
Remember: Consistency isn't boring - it's the foundation that lets your creativity soar.
Now go build something worth cataloging.
Cheers!
Brad
