Early Stage Growth • Ballpoint

Early Stage Growth • Ballpoint

The end of top-down branding

Why Brand teams should stop writing brand guidelines

Josh Lachkovic's avatar
Josh Lachkovic
Aug 26, 2025
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“The final form of a brand is decided by the public” –

Nikita Walia
at VISIONS Summit

TL;DR: Brand teams can no longer control their narrative and story. Gen Z see through it, and the way we communicate today means strict controls and guidelines are irrelevant. The smartest brand teams are starting to take note.

One of my favourite things about long bank holidays is …

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