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#349 - Between Trends and Timelessness: The Antara Approach to Building Strong Brands from the Outside In
DTC POD: How The Best Brands Are Built
Navigating Design Trends and Brand Identity
This chapter explores the challenges of originality in design, focusing on the prevalence of copycat branding within the D2C and consumer branding sectors. The speakers advocate for a balanced approach that aligns current trends with a brand's core identity, emphasizing the need for authenticity and purpose in creative storytelling.
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Speaker 1
What
Speaker 2
are some of the trends that, well, let's actually talk about trends, right? So how do you think about trends when it comes to design, right? Because like, I feel like in design and especially in D2C and consumer branding, it's like everything is always copycat. So you see trends pop up and then, you know, one thing pops up and then every brand looks like the same brand. So how do you balance between what's cool, what looks good, what's in the moment, but also how do you say, you know, how do you keep a brand that becomes timeless essentially? Yeah. Like how do you balance the two? Oh
Speaker 1
yeah. It hard because you know now nowadays like the algorithm values the lack of creativity i guess because everyone is doing the same thing that helps with the algorithm and you're like that that that is like kind of destroying a little bit of like the creative part of branding but it's also giving us the opportunity to be different in a world where like everyone is doing the same thing and feeling like they are doing it right if they're doing it the same um so and that's why like again nailing down a good story and staying honest and consistent with it is gonna help you because you you're always going to be tempted to do the next trend and your brand should be able to to expand like with and and and be able to adapt to culture like in that in that culture it should be able to live in the culture but stay true to who it is right so it's like finding that balance um yeah
Speaker 2
i guess it's it's almost like interpreting like trends through the lens of your own brand right like if there's different trends that you like and it makes sense with an ecosystem of your brand maybe it becomes like a seasonal or alternate design but it's going to overtake your like core brand identity, right?
Speaker 1
Yeah, yeah. It's fun. It's fun to play with trends. I'm not saying that they're bad, but not all trends are for your brand.
Speaker 2
So this will be a fun one. What are some trends in design that you absolutely hate?
Speaker 1
Trends in design that I absolutely hate? Or
Speaker 2
maybe not hate, but like things that, I don't know, things that bother you.
Speaker 1
It may be. It may be because of my style, but there was a trend where like more is more and deeper we're just like exaggerating everything. It would be like bad design is good design. And that's just like oh no that's that doesn't go with me uh yeah a little bit of i've seen a lot of that yeah like too much yeah
Speaker 2
like like super maximal design yeah super maximal
Speaker 1
design and i guess that that was like a rebound of the super clean design which is also like it can be boring as well i guess but uh if done right i think i think if done right both can work it's just like it depends on the brand it's not for everyone but personally for me like yeah uh like exaggerating everything is just like it bothers me no
Speaker 2
no i i totally see that and i think it's tricky too because sometimes those brands that are super maximal they feel like yeah the moment but maybe they don't have the same um you know they can exist in a shorter time window but you it remains to be seen when you just stack more and more and more whether it just becomes a trend whereas you can always add complexity to design sometimes it's tougher to to pair it back um you said this has been super fun um as we wrap up here are there what what projects are you excited about um you know continuing to work on are you is there a specific type of like brand or company that you guys feel like you really excel with? Is it typically consumer packaged goods? Is it apparel? What sector have you guys seen success with and what sector do you guys want to continue working
Speaker 1
with? Yeah, we definitely want to continue working with purpose-driven brands, brands that want to make a positive impact in the world. But I would say industry-focused, I would say definitely the wellness sector, the beauty and fashion, and household. Those are the three main ones that we've had a really good connection with also because i i am the end consumer so it's like a natural like click and i'm i'm a natural user like a i'm i'm in that that space personally so when i get clients that are in that space it's just like everything flows i love it that's
Speaker 2
awesome that's awesome maybe we'll have to do an episode in the future where we can do some brand teardowns in health and wellness and beauty. That would be super fun. I would love to. I love that.
Speaker 1
Yeah, let's do it.
Speaker 2
Cool. So for anyone who's tuning in, where can we find you? Where can we connect with you? Are you on socials? Why don't you shout out yourself as well as Antara? Where do we find you?
Speaker 1
Yeah, so antara.studio. That is my website and Instagram handle. You can find me there, or you can find me on LinkedIn, like Isabel Mendez. Sweet.
Speaker 2
Thanks so much for coming on the pod.
Speaker 1
Thank you so much, Blaine. It was great. If
Speaker 2
you enjoyed the show, we'd love your support. A rating and review would go a long way as we continue to host the best builders in DTC and beyond. Follow and subscribe to the show and make sure to check out our show notes where you can find our socials and weekly newsletter. Visit us on DTCpod.com to join our founder community and access resources from every episode. We'll see you on the next pod.
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