Can we combine excellent design and branding simultaneously?
The article discusses the tension between branding and good design, highlighting how they often pull in opposite directions. Branding requires distinctiveness, while good design seeks the best solution, which tends to converge among designers. The author presents two ways to combine both elements, but notes that maintaining uniqueness is a challenge as trends evolve.
- ▪Branding is inherently about being distinctive, while good design aims for the right answer.
- ▪The article references Paula Scher's work with The Public Theater, which initially had a unique identity that was later imitated by others.
- ▪To combine good design and branding, one can either explore new areas or operate in spaces with many possibilities.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
← BlogBranding VS Good designMay 11, 2026BrandingDesignArtPaul GrahamPaula ScherI recently was reading a Paul Graham article where i came across this amazing passage: Branding isn't merely orthogonal to good design, but opposed to it. Branding by definition has to be distinctive. But good design, like math or science, seeks the right answer, and right answers tend to converge. That made me stop reading and take a pause to think about this deeply. Most of the time, we mix up design and branding, but actually, they are pulling in opposite directions. You can't have branding without distinctiveness, it's built into the concept, the purpose of branding is being recognizable as different from others, so a brand, just by being a brand, has to look different from other brands.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Hacker News (Newest).
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