Unity over uniformity

Consistency ≠ the same.

Some seem to think visual identities should match up identically, everywhere, all the time. Perfectly consistent output, matching luggage, all the rest of it. But that's lazy thinking. It feels outdated with the modern demands of malleability and scalability, especially considering every channel that a brand needs to live in today and tomorrow.

Consistency as a term is touted as a benchmark of a good, solid, well-meaning identity. When actually, even what's written into law questions the identicality we often associate with the word:

"Identical treatment should not be confused with consistency: to say that two things share something (are consistent), is not to say that the two are treated as identical. Identical treatment might entail consistency, but consistency does not entail identical treatment."

So please, find the freedom for flexibility. Encourage evolution. Allow agility. Create chaos, if it's called for. Considered visual identity doesn't mean having to wear a uniform, but it does need to feel familiar whenever it shows up — that’s why strategy is your best friend.