Magic Happens When You Bend the Rules

Brand guidelines exist for good reason. They create consistency, build recognition and make sure your brand holds together across every touchpoint. Without them, brands become incoherent. But consistency alone does not build brands.

The most memorable brands know when to follow the rules and when to bend them. Not recklessly, not purely for the sake of disruption, but with genuine intent. Recognition is built through consistency. True connection is built through surprise.

Merch is one of the few places where that surprise can be physical. Unlike a digital ad that disappears in seconds, a well-made object can become part of someone's everyday life. It creates emotional attachment in a way most marketing channels simply cannot.

The shirt

Every year we create a giveaway for our global conference. Most years it does its job and disappears. This year we wanted to make something people would actually keep.

If our brand were a football club, what would its shirt actually look like?

Rather than applying our branding to a product, we made it part of the product itself; exploring how our identity could feel authentic within the visual language of football. Subtle details and design cues that make a shirt feel real rather than a promo item.

“We spent time on details that reward people’s attention; the badge design, the patterns, the way the collar sits. Football shirts are full of meaning for the people who wear them. We wanted this one to feel the same way. Not a branded giveaway, something that made everyone across the group know they are part of a real team. Because that’s what we’re building,” said Will Rust, Global CCO, Prominate Group.

Making it real

Creative ambition is only half the story. The other half is execution.

"Our biggest challenge was time. From day one, we had to move fast aligning with our manufacturing partner to accelerate decisions, artwork, and mock-ups in record time. Bringing a creative vision to life requires balancing two very different worlds. Designers imagine what is possible, while production teams focus on practicalities like fabrics and technical limits. The real magic happens when they work together. Great merchandise isn't born from design or production alone; it comes from collaboration and a shared ambition to protect the creative vision while making it manufacturable at the highest quality.

At Goldenberry – and across the Prominate Group – we've learned that this collaboration is one of our greatest strengths. Creativity inspires people, but flawless execution turns that inspiration into something they can wear, experience and remember," said Olaf Dabrowski, CEO, Goldenberry.

The principle

There is a difference between executing your brand and evolving it. Little creative moments should exist to strengthen a brand, when they build on the understanding of what the brand is.

Consistency gets you recognised. A well-timed piece of creative rule-breaking gets you remembered.

Written by Priya Pancholi - global marketing lead, Prominate Group; Will Rust - global CCO, Prominate Group; Olaf Dabrowski - CEO, Goldenberry.