Hi indelibility. It’s us, the founders of The Indelible. 

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As you might have heard, we co-opted you for our name. After nearly a year, we thought we owed you some explanation.

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As naming approaches go, it isn’t subtle. There’s not much wonder or intrigue built into “The Indelible” compared with names like Bombas or Twitter (or X, for that matter). That said, many have confessed that they needed to look up your meaning. And the potential for misspelling and mispronunciation abounds. (Though the firm is, in fact, inedible, that is not our name.) We try not to be indelicate when correcting people.

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Nor is it a very humble name to self-apply. It’s not lost on us that declaring our firm to be synonymous with words like lasting, enduring and memorable carries with it a certain expectation that we’ll be around for a while. We intend to be, and making you our aspiration compels us to build for the long haul.

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At our launch we talked about working with leaders who want to make a lasting mark. We defined the kind of work we wanted to do by stating the kind of work we didn’t want to do: that which is fleeting. 

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Social posts that latch only onto the trend of the moment? No thanks. 

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Promotions that spike sales for one week by moving them forward from future weeks? Not our thing. 

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Gimmicky campaigns that win awards but not customers? We’d be happy to recommend another firm. 

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The examples we hold up of our work, and of other work we like, are of brands that have stood the test of time and are thus indelible. But what makes them so?

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Intentionality. Yes, brands can develop unintentionally and turn out to last a long time. It happens. But relying on serendipity isn’t much of a business plan. Intentional choices about strategic direction, positioning, language and design reduce the element of chance while setting the stage for brand attributes that last.

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Craft. Along with its close cousin Detail, Craft can be the difference in fleeting and enduring. Craft, in part, requires training and experience. But it is also a mindset: it considers problems holistically and solves them by looking beyond the narrow symptom that might have brought it to attention in the first place. Often, craft solves problems that haven’t yet surfaced.

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Commitment. Commitment takes courage. By definition, it’s about having the moxie to make decisions and stick with them through moments of doubt in the middle and long-term. It also includes investment: the time, money, and resources it takes to tell a brand’s story and make sure people see it. A brand that lacks the commitment to invest in itself will have a hard time becoming indelible. 

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Consistency. The discipline to apply the brand with unapologetic adherence to its principles and guidance. Brand stewardship is not for the faint of heart, nor for those who are unable to persuade others of its value. 

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Adaptability. Adapting to dynamic conditions is a brand’s responsibility to the business it serves. And while this might appear at odds with being consistent, it isn’t. Consistency doesn’t mean a brand can’t evolve. Rather, it can be a tool for shaping how it does so. When the time comes to adapt, brands should do so consistently with the essential principles of what makes them them.

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Naming our upstart firm after a concept as lofty as you certainly puts the pressure on. Hubris looming as it does, we’ve sought to employ each of these in good measure as we build our own brand. It’s paying off so far; here’s hoping we’re still on good terms with you years from now.

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Indelibly (but we repeat ourselves) yours,

Mike, Matt, Jeff & Thom

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