Why Does Everything Feel So Generic?
Originality is not decoration for its own sake. It is the result of making deliberate choices about use, form and detail.
Have you ever looked through a whole page of products and thought, “Didn’t I just see this one?” Different colour, different logo, maybe one extra detail—but otherwise, much the same.
It’s not that every product needs to look unusual. The question is simpler: has someone thought carefully about what this thing is for, how it should work and why it has been made this way?
Originality is more than adding decoration
A different colour or an extra flourish doesn’t automatically make a product original. Good design starts with a reason.
Does the shape make it easier to use? Do the proportions suit its purpose? Does a small detail make it easier to hold, clean or store? Is a traditional feature useful, meaningful or part of a particular way of making the object?
Not everything has to be new. But the choices should make sense.
Traditional craft has its own character
With brassware, character can come from the shape, proportions, surface, weight, workmanship and intended use. Two articles may serve a similar purpose but have details that matter to different buyers.
And let’s be fair: handmade variation doesn’t automatically mean better quality. Nor should irregularity become an excuse for poor work. It’s worth understanding how an object was made, what variation is normal and which differences actually matter.
That tells us more than simply calling something “unique.”
Why do so many products feel interchangeable?
A business can keep copying whatever seems to sell. That may be a sensible shortcut in the short term, but it can leave customers staring at a row of nearly identical options without a clear reason to choose one over another.
Originality takes a little more attention. First understand the person using the product, where it will be used and what problem it needs to solve. Sometimes that leads to a new shape. Sometimes it’s a small improvement to something familiar. Sometimes the best thing to do is make a reliable product better and explain it more clearly.
What can a business do?
If a product is standard, don’t pretend it’s one of a kind. Explain what is actually different: the material, proportions, finish, workmanship, intended use or available sizes.
Choose products around real needs instead of filling a catalogue with near-duplicates. Show details honestly. Help people understand which differences matter and which are just cosmetic.
With traditional brass articles, that might mean explaining why a particular form is used, what to check before buying and what to expect from the finish or workmanship. And if we don’t know something, we should say so rather than invent a lovely story around it.
Thoughtful is better than different for the sake of it ❤️
People don’t need every object to be extraordinary. They need things that suit their purpose, are described honestly and feel worth owning.
Originality doesn’t mean making everything look new. It means making deliberate choices instead of repeating a formula without thinking.
People don’t need every product to be extraordinary. They need more products that feel considered, useful and worth owning.