How do you know when it’s time to say goodbye to a cliché? To break away from easy, comforting, and unchallenged tropes, and are consumers ready to navigate brands without these easy signifiers?

For many brands and their design partners, clichés have proven to be a handy tool. Ingrained in the public’s imagination, they serve as shortcuts and signifiers to specific sectors and stories. That can be an advantage, especially in virgin markets, where consumers have little or no exposure to the original context.

But today’s audience is savvier. We have a wealth of information at our fingertips and a greater understanding of the line between parody and authenticity. Clichés, with their established expectations, are not just predictable, they’re increasingly meaningless.