When did branded merchandise become so predictable?

The problem isn't the product. It's what brands do with it.

A tote bag isn't boring. A t-shirt isn't boring. A cap isn't boring. Treating merchandise as somewhere to place a logo is boring.

We're surrounded by more branded products than ever, yet so much of it looks the same. Logo. Left chest. Maybe something on the back. Done.

Maybe merchandise isn't getting boring. Maybe we're just not doing enough with it.

Your logo isn't enough. 

Well not enough if you intend on the end user keeping your merchandise and not just leaving it in some cupboard.

Ask yourself this - What could someone wear that could only have come from us?

Your logo might be brilliant, but it's never enough. Customers don't want to wear your uniform...

Uniform says: I work for this company.

Bad merch says: I was given this by a company.

Great merch says: I'm part of this.

Think about football shirts, band tees, festival merchandise, university sweatshirts, members' clubs. People actively choose to display affiliation when the brand/community means something to them.

So the objective shouldn't simply be maximum logo visibility.

It should be maximum desirability + recognisable brand codes.

Sometimes that means the logo is huge. Sometimes it's tiny. Sometimes the logo doesn't need to appear at all.

Sometimes the best ideas aren't in the brand guidelines.

Artisan botanical non-alcoholic aperitif brand Botivo could have put their logo on a T-shirt and called it a day. Equally, they could have used an existing brand motif and turned it into merchandise. Both would have been recognisably Botivo, but neither would necessarily have created something people actually wanted to wear.

Instead, the idea came from real life.

After the Hackney Half Marathon, Botivo supported Queer Running Club with drinks and a drag performance on their piano. Afterwards, the performer grabbed Botivo's giant bottle costume and started strutting and posing in it.

The moment stuck. “That bottle walk… could be a character.”

Six months, a few iterations and some development later, that spontaneous moment became a piece of merchandise: Botivo's much-loved bottle reimagined as a walking character.

It's a great middle ground. It isn't simply a logo on a blank, but it isn't an obscure piece of brand language that only an internal marketing team would understand either. The bottle is already recognisably Botivo; turning it into a quirky, wearable graphic gives it personality.

That's what makes the idea work. The merchandise still belongs unmistakably to the brand, without making the person wearing it feel like they're wearing the brand's uniform.

Sometimes the best merchandise ideas aren't sitting in a catalogue or on a moodboard. They're already happening around your brand, you just have to notice them.

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You probably already have the idea.

Botivo found inspiration in a moment.

Your brand might instead find it in a phrase.

Or a product. A mascot. An ingredient. An inside joke. A location. A piece of packaging. Something customers always photograph. Something staff always say.

Before inventing something new, look at what people already love about your brand.

I'm not saying: tote bags are boring, t-shirts are boring, logo embroidery is boring...

I'm saying that defaulting to them without thinking is boring.

A beautifully made heavyweight tee with a tiny embroidered logo could be absolutely perfect for one brand.

A walking bottle character might be perfect for Botivo.

A completely bespoke inflatable might be perfect for a summer drinks activation.

The creative decision comes before the product decision.

Look around your brand.

What's the thing customers always mention?

What's sitting in your packaging that could become a graphic?

Is there a phrase your team constantly uses?

Is there a product shape people immediately recognise?

Has something unexpected happened at an event that people still talk about?

Your next piece of merchandise might already exist. It just isn't merchandise yet.

Got an idea? Let’s make something of it.

Whether you’ve already got an idea or need some inspiration, we’ll help you turn the things people love about your brand into merchandise worth owning.

Book a free 30-minute creative chat with us. We’ll talk through your brand, what you’re working on and any ideas already floating around, then explore how they could translate into merchandise people genuinely want to wear, use and keep.

No polished brief needed. Bring a finished concept, a half-formed idea, or simply your brand and a challenge, we’ll start from there.

Download: The Brand-to-Merch Idea Starter

A short free guide/workbook with prompts to help you uncover merch ideas already hiding inside your brand: phrases, products, mascots, moments, packaging, community, etc.