A rebrand that stripped away everything unique
First, let us add a caveat: judging someone else's creative work like this is pretty unfair. We don't see the inputs or hear the discussions that happened, so it's unreasonable to judge the outcome without visibility into the process.
But we're going to do it anyway, because the lesson here is too important to skip 😂
The main thing that jumped out to us immediately was that the creator was almost entirely absent from the new branding. The proposed structure had a "parent brand" sitting above the media business and the community. Sometimes that can make sense! There are lots of creator-led companies that center the brand more so than the creator (more on those in a min).
But even when successful creator brands evolve beyond the individual creator, they still carry the vibe, character, and energy of the original creators.
Mythical, despite being a huge brand, feels intimately like Rhett and Link.
Theorist, even after MatPat and Steph's departure, still carries their energy and approach.
This rebrand? It was totally devoid of the thing that made this creator unique.
He's funny, quirky, and irreverent, even though the niche he operates in is very buttoned up. In our opinion, a big reason why he's been successful is the dichotomy of his energy in a stale industry. It makes him stand out.
The proposed rebrand stripped all of that away in favor of looking "professional."
Why “professional” is a slippery slope
Here's what we think happened (and what happens to a lot of creators when they try to level up their brand):
Someone convinced them that "professional" means looking like every other business in their space.
But that's backwards af.
Professional should mean being exceptionally good at what you do while maintaining the authentic personality that got you there in the first place.
If you're a finance creator who's built an audience because you make complex topics accessible and entertaining, why would you rebrand to look like every other financial services company?
If you're a marketing expert who's known for being direct and no-nonsense, why would you soften that edge to look more "corporate"?
The goal isn't to fit in. The goal is to stand out while demonstrating competence.
What good creator branding actually looks like
A couple absolute banger examples from our customers:
Shan Boodram needed a brand that was both professionally credible and deeply intimate for her sex education work. Instead of going corporate, her brand captures her unique ability to make taboo topics feel natural and accessible. It's professional because it's authentic, not because it's generic. There is no one else in the world that this brand would work for, and that’s the point.
Ryan Trahan has 19M+ subscribers and works with major brands, but his visual identity still feels irreverent and personal - it gives Ryan and wouldn’t make sense for anyone else. It's professionally executed but maintains the raw, relatable energy that made him successful (also go watch his current series on YT, it’s incredible).
What do they have in common? They leveled up authentically. They became more polished versions of themselves, not completely different entities.
Why generic branding kills a creator business
When creators strip away their personality in pursuit of looking "professional," they're making a massive strategic error.
Your personality isn't a liability to overcome. It's your biggest competitive advantage.
Generic branding makes you forgettable. It forces you to compete on the same terms as everyone else in your space. It removes the very thing that differentiated you in the first place.
PLUS: your audience will notice! They followed you because you were different. When you try to look like everyone else, you're essentially telling them that what they valued about you wasn't worth keeping.
How to level up…without losing the ✨ magic ✨
So how do you evolve your brand professionally while keeping what makes you unique?
Start with your differentiator, not your industry. Don't look at other brands in your space for inspiration. Look at what makes you different and amplify that.
Professional means well-executed, not boring. You can have polished design, clear messaging, and high-quality execution while still being irreverent, funny, or unconventional.
Work with people who understand creators. This isn't just a plug for our services (okay, maybe it is a little, but a soft plug). But seriously, building brands in the creator space requires understanding the unique dynamics of audience relationships and personal, authentic voice.
Remember why people follow you. Before making any major brand changes, go back to your most successful content and ask yourself, “what made this resonate?” Make sure your new brand amplifies those qualities rather than hiding them.
The bottom line
As creator businesses continue to evolve, the bar for professionalism keeps rising. More advertisers are spending more money, and audience expectations for creator-led products are higher than ever.
But professional doesn't have to mean anonymous or generic. It means being exceptionally good at what you do while staying true to what makes you unique.
The creators who figure this out will build brands that feel both credible and authentic. The ones who don't will blend into the background noise of their industries, which totally sucks.
Your personality isn't a bug to fix. It's the feature that made you successful in the first place.
