Beyond corporate beige: Three steps to thick branding through art

When everyone looks the same, humanity becomes your competitive advantage.

© Dezeen Daniel Arsham SCAD installation 2016

Corporate branding has reached peak homogeneity. Scroll through any industry and you'll see the same sans-serif fonts, the same stock photography, the same "authentic" messaging that feels anything but. In this sea of algorithmic sameness, brands that dare to be genuinely human—messy, emotional, culturally rich—don't just stand out. They dominate. Welcome to the age of thick branding, where cultural depth trumps corporate polish. It’s not a trend, it’s a shift.

The human problem with corporate solutions

In 2024, branding shifted toward purpose-driven strategies as consumers increasingly sought brands offering meaning and community. But most companies responded with the same playbook: sustainability messaging, diversity stock photos, and mission statements written by committees. The result? A marketplace where Toyota looks like Tesla, where startups mimic Fortune 500s, and where "authentic" has become the most inauthentic word in business.

Art integration offers an escape route from this beige wasteland. Not because art is trendy, but because art is irreducibly human. It carries stories, emotions, and cultural weight that no corporate strategy can manufacture.

Three steps to thick branding

Step 1: Find your cultural heartbeat Before commissioning murals or sponsoring galleries, discover what cultural currents already flow through your brand. What stories do your founders tell? What communities naturally gravitate toward you? This isn't about inventing culture—it's about recognizing the human elements that already exist within your brand ecosystem.

Step 2: Partner, don't patronize True art integration means genuine collaboration, not corporate philanthropy. Find artists whose work resonates with your brand's cultural DNA, then give them creative freedom. The goal isn't to control the message but to amplify the conversation. When brands become platforms for artistic expression rather than art directors, magic happens.

Step 3: Commit to the conversation Thick branding isn't a campaign—it's a relationship. Art integration requires ongoing dialogue between your brand, artists, and community. This means commissioning work that might surprise you, supporting artists through their evolution, and letting cultural partnerships shape your brand's direction rather than just its decoration.

Where Maison d'Art comes in

We've watched too many brands stumble at these steps, either by treating art as window dressing or by overthinking their way back to corporate safety. Our role is to guide you through the cultural wilderness with confidence.

As your project partner: We help you identify authentic cultural connections and facilitate your first meaningful artistic collaborations. Think of us as cultural matchmakers who understand both artistic integrity and business objectives.

As your ongoing advisor: For brands ready to commit to thick branding, we become your cultural compass—helping you navigate artistic partnerships, anticipate cultural shifts, and maintain authenticity as you scale.

As your cultural bridge: We connect you with artists, curators, and cultural institutions that align with your brand's deeper purpose, creating relationships that enrich both your business and the artistic community.

Daniel Arsham x Rimowa x Pokemon x Porsche x Disney x Heinz

The thick advantage

In uncertain times, consumers crave brands that feel real, rooted, and culturally significant. The future belongs to hyper-localized strategies that reflect specific market values and aesthetics—exactly what art integration provides. Your competitors are still optimizing for algorithms. While they chase the next marketing trend, you'll be building something they can't replicate: genuine cultural relevance. The question isn't whether art integration works. The question is whether you're ready to stand out in a world that's forgotten how to be human.

Ready to move beyond corporate beige? Let's start with Step 1.

Yours truly,

Margot

MD'A sidenote: Daniel Arsham (b. 1980 Cleveland, USA) is a contemporary American artist known for his multidisciplinary work that blends art, architecture, and performance. He often explores themes of decay, time, and memory through sculptures that resemble eroded relics of modern objects and classical forms. His work blurs the line between past and future, creating a unique "fictional archaeology" aesthetic.