Arts & Crafts are so back

It’s the early 2000s. Companies are all on the come-up. Google, Airbnb. Pinterest. Spotify, all vibrant, quirky, interesting and full of life. Fast-forward to the 2010s, and now everything’s flat. Muted. Bland as can be. The “blanding” as they call it. I’m convinced this made many of us (myself included) boring as hell and holy moly did I hate this era. White rooms, white desks, white chairs all in the most sterile interiors. Everything was “minimalist” and it was cute at first, but it became too much.

Don’t believe me? Look at what the blanding did to the world’s beloved tech logos:

The short answer is no, minimalism is not “dead,” not in all cases. But the default gold logo on black, or a white logo on grey, is over. AI can replicate all this in seconds, and the market’s figured it out. People are commissioning handmade crests, brands are going maximalist with their designs, and industries are returning to their roots.

So why does it matter to us building a business? It’s the green light to be more true to what we actually like, not what’s safe, and owning your direction.

Let’s get into it.

Blanding butchered so many iconic brands and I hate myself for thinking it was nice (for a very brief moment). Take Burberry’s beautiful, logo rich in history, and what the blanding did to it:

Call me crazy, but doesn’t the logo just fit a brand built on English heritage since 1856? Yes, and the market likes it. So they went back to it.

Burberry re-introduced their new logo in 2023. This is how their stock has performed since (it’s way up).

68% in one year is massive. Turns out the market likes seeing companies like this return to their roots.

You know who didn’t return to their roots? Jaguar, the car company, another English brand with a rich, storied history. They led the most hideous rebrand I’ve ever seen.

This is the main image. What does this have to do with cars?

Arguably, there’s more wrong with it than just the blanding. But you get the idea.

Don’t want to take my word for it? Here’s the performance of their parent company’s stock for the last year. It’s abysmal (down almost 40%).

This blanding was so rough that the CEO had to step down specifically because of how bad it was (they lost a ton or market share too).

And so while some companies are learning the hard way and course-correcting, others are embracing craft, and winning.

In Vancouver, Canada, the cost of living is estimated at just under $4K/month. Realistically, a pleasant life (vacation every year, a decent car, home larger than a shoe box), is closer to $6K/month (I know because I live in the Vancouver area).

I’m not an accountant, so consult professionals, but let’s look at common sense numbers.

Earning $160K as an employee.

This is the part I wish I had known sooner. IF you start that business (earning the same $160K):

Congrats: you just put an extra $21k back in your pocket.

Take The Woobles, they make crochet kits with quirky, hand-stitched designs, and grew 10,400% in three years, landing them in Inc. 5000’s top 20. Or Ex Libris Paris, whose ornate, letterpress crests never ditched heritage, tapping into 2025’s demand for personalized crafts.

Rolife’s DIY miniature kits, up 85% in searches since 2021, thrive on TikTok with their intricate, hand-assembled charm. Even mainstream Ralph Lauren, sticking to its American craft roots, is booming as this vibe swings back into style.

We are so back!

The list goes on. If you can think of anything else, feel free to let me know in the replies.

The return of arts & crafts and the decline of minimalism signal a more meaningful change for all of us.

It’s easy to play it safe. Minimal branding is easy to copy, or generate with AI. Too easy. Jaguar got the worst of it, but it’s only a matter of time before companies desperately hanging on feel it too.

Is minimalism dead and gone? Not quite. There’s a place for it. For those of us getting started, and haven’t found our aesthetic yet, it can work. If it really means something, then maybe. Otherwise, I think it’s safe to say it’s behind us.

This means that the way we approach business is also changing. How?

It’s also easy to play it safe at work. To have 50 people review a concept, and everyone worries about being “the one who makes the mistake.” What’s the move? Most people play it safe. The easy choice, the boring idea, the simple “bland” approach that everyone else tried, and the market (in the cases above at least), didn’t like.

For us, it’s the green light to do what we feel is better for us and the brands we build or work for. The market is shifting to a point where the safest option is the one that’s most “you.” Will everyone like it? Probably not. But at least people can see something there, and judge on more than just which shade of grey is better, or the font.

So, the lesson is not that minimalism is bad. It’s that the market is rewarding people who go back to their roots. Burberry is one example. It’s not the only one. And it’s not to say that you need to put a big blue knight on all your assets. It’s probably a sign that the nostalgia you feel for that old show, video game, or style of clothes still matters, and is worth applying to your brand. I know I will.

Thanks again for reading!