I was raised with a mindset to think big. Maybe it was my Texas upbringing where the statewide mindset of "everything's bigger" helped fuel this vision. But ultimately it's a state of mind that we can create regardless of our location, upbringing, or past experience.
Not looking at preset boxes of expectations and norms as spaces we must fit within.
Not accepting current conditions as "that's how it must be" but as a challenge to make things better.
Not being limited to the current state, the existing way of doing things.
Yes, some systems keep us boxed in. Sometimes without realizing it. But thinking big gives us the vantage point to see those walls clearly – and the courage to imagine what could exist beyond them.
This week, ask yourself:
What helps you stay curious and imaginative, even when things feel constrained?
Who in your life models “thinking big” and what do they do differently?
What would “thinking big” look like in your world – your role, your life, your community – this week?
Stay inspired,
Creative Director
L I N K R O U N D U P
1. Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life Saunders looks at seven short stories from Russian masters of the form — Tolstoy, Turgenev, Gogol, and Chekhov — to demonstrate how stories behave, how we experience them, and how we might continually discover their meaning, long after we’ve finished reading. For writers, this is an invaluable lesson on decision-making and accountability in writing practice; for every reader, it’s a lesson in how to think.
2. Physics Fun We love finding inspiration in unexpected places, and this week it’s an Instagram of physics-based interactions with a bio that reads “Physics describes the real magic of the universe.” ✨
3. Grayscale with Temperature Admittedly quite niche, but if you’re a designer that doesn’t love picking grays out of a gradient or manually creating a grayscale palette, there’s a tool for that. Letting you adjust the number of colors, saturation, temperature, and lightness correction, it’s a big timesaver.
4. La-Z-Boy Rebrand La-Z-Boy rebranded this summer for the first time in over 20 years. Aimed at attracting younger consumers, the effort revealed a deeper insight: while customers saw La-Z-Boy as functional, what everyone truly values is comfort. A great reminder that real transformation takes strategy, rollout, and a rethink of every touchpoint.
As Marketing Brew writes, “Minis, brand marketers told us, allow brands to introduce themselves to new customers, particularly Gen Z and millennials, at a time when budgets are tight and economic concerns are high. Beyond that, minis are generating attention online for simply being adorable.”
In the latest episode of The Debrief, we unpack the full journey behind Contentstack’s rebrand — from aligning internal teams around a shared vision to boldly launching a new identity into the market.
Customer input should support your brand strategy — not lead it. When it comes to brand strategy research, the most useful insights usually come from inside your company, not outside it.
Brand Refresh vs. Rebrand: What's The Difference? While there isn’t a quantifiable difference between a “brand refresh” and a “rebrand,” we do our best to explain the most common situations we see in our work.
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