An observation: When most creatives are putting together “inspiration” for a project, they almost always just mean a collection of other people’s work. Not that it’s entirely bad to admire others’ work, but… is anyone really surprised that a swanky new rebrand looks 80% similar to another existing brand, when said identity is on the mood board?

This isn’t a rant about originality or the creative obsession for novelty (maybe next week) — but rather, a suggestion to look broader and more intentionally for inspiration. This world is an incredible place and has heaps of places to find visual and emotional inspiration, such as:

• Personal experiences/memories

• Architecture + interior design

• Geometry/patterns in nature

• Work from 70+ years ago

• Connecting unrelated concepts

A practical note: At the very least, consider sourcing inspiration via industries and audiences that are multiple degrees of separation away. In other words, don’t deep-dive on Nike ads if you’re building a shoe company.