Colour is the first thing a brand says. Before a single word is read, before a logo is understood, the eye has already taken in colour and drawn a conclusion: this feels premium, or playful, or trustworthy, or cheap. It is the fastest-acting element in your entire identity, and the most misunderstood. Most advice on the subject stops at a …
Why Your Brand Looks Good but Feels Wrong: The Special Effects Problem
A particular kind of enquiry has been reaching me more and more often. A founder has built their website themselves, or generated a set of logo options with AI, or both. They’ve assembled something that, on the face of it, ‘looks’ perfectly ok. Clean, current, and in theory, suitable. And yet they can’t shake the feeling that it isn’t right. …


