There’s no such thing as sour…

This morning I picked fresh blackberries for the first time this year and dropped them into the bowl with some boring Cheerios soaked up with unsweetened almond milk. The berries of deep purple hue looked perfectly ripe—but every single damn one was sour. However I didn’t take the rest out. Maybe it was stubbornness. Maybe hope. Maybe both.

I kept eating, waiting for one to surprise me with a burst of sweetness. None did. But I finished the bowl anyway.

Oddly, I didn’t feel regret—I felt clarity. Sour is a taste I’ve come to understand. Even love. It reminds me that not everything that feeds us is sweet at first. Sometimes it takes sitting with discomfort to find the real value underneath.

(And here it comes…a metaphor!)

I can say branding is like that. Many things in life is like that.

Sometimes a new brand—or whatever comes new to your routine or unexpected—feels awkward, uncertain, maybe even a little off. You're hoping for instant "sweetness," but what you get is complexity. Resistance. Growth.

But stick with it. Even when you’re unsure. Even when it feels unfamiliar. Because buried in that shitty uncomfortable shift is where your boldest clarity, voice, and vision live.

And if you toss it too soon, you might miss the one idea that changes everything.

If you’re in the middle of a brand shift—or thinking about one—let’s talk.
Sometimes all it takes is an outside eye to spot the value you’ve already picked.

My strengths as a brand designer and strategist have all the sweet, salty, umami, sour and bitter receptors needed. Even spicy to eliminate pain points. You never want one perspective. Let’s brainstorm after our next bowl of cereal. Mine will be Cinnamon Toast Crunch!