How to keep a blog fresh after 25 years and 1,750 posts? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself as we head towards 2027. Since starting the brandgym blog back in 2001, the posts have focused on one core topic: brand-led growth. This main topic will not change. But in the spirit of our brandgym principle, fresh consistency, I plan to refresh the way I approach this subject in some of my posts. At the same time, you can expect to keep seeing posts from the other brandgym partners and the occasional guest contributor.
1. A new FOCUS
The new focus for my posts will be Inspiring a Creative Life. I will still explore brand-led growth, but increasingly look for creative stimulus outside the usual marketing bubble, drawing inspiration from art, design, architecture, photography, travel, places, objects and creative people. The aim is to find fresh ideas that can help us look at brands and businesses in new ways, while also making my own life more creative.
2. New FUEL
To provide some “fuel” for this new focus, I have designed my own mini Masters programme called The Creative Life. The programme draws on a library of books I have accumulated over many years on design, art, architecture, photography and travel. It will run for 36 weeks, split into three 12-week terms. Time each week will be devoted to reading, looking, exploring, making and reflecting. I’ll complement this with a series of practical photography courses. Developing photography is a new hobby that works well with my passion project, the travel inspiration platform The TRIP COLLECTION.
The aim is to sharpen my eye, build my visual vocabulary and develop a more creative way of living. Importantly, every week ends with something drawn, painted or designed (examples below).
In case it’s of interest, the three terms are:
- 1 — LEARN TO SEE: building a stronger visual vocabulary by exploring 100 years of design, from Bauhaus and Dieter Rams to Philippe Starck, Marc Newson and Vitra. The aim is to get better at spotting what makes design distinctive, useful and enduring.
- 2 — DEVELOP YOUR EYE: moving from studying other people’s creativity to developing my own way of seeing, through photography, colour, composition, art and space. The focus is on slowing down, noticing more and learning how visual choices change what we see.
- 3 — LIVE CREATIVELY: taking creativity beyond art and design into everyday life, exploring curiosity, travel, homes, hotels, architecture and places. The aim is to turn creativity from something you occasionally “do” into a way of looking at and living in the world.
3. A FRESH APPROACH
So, what does all this mean for my brandgym blog posts? The core subject stays exactly the same: brand-led growth. I will still write about positioning, renovation, distinctive brand assets, brand experience and how to sell more stuff. What will change is where some of the stimulus comes from. A Paul Smith exhibition might inspire a post about distinctive brand assets. A brilliantly designed hotel could provoke some thinking on customer experience. Architecture might provide ideas about creating coherent brand worlds. I hope this broader creative lens will make my blog pots fresher to write and, most importantly, more inspiring and useful to read.
I do hope you enjoy the refreshed posts and find them inspiring!
