I’ve always loved Folklore tales, especially those rooted in mystery, where the lines are blurred and the ending is uncertain. I love these spaces of abstraction, where dreams and ideas drift in and out of focus.

Branding, for me, isn’t about imposing a single story but offering a landscape where multiple narratives can coexist. As a maximalist, I like to layer detail upon detail, believing that true stories reveal themselves—or stay elusive—in that richness. Choosing branding as a career allows me to craft stories and visual worlds for brands, and hopefully spark something in others.

The rise of alternative realms and spirituality – a response to mass media narratives – prompts individuals to question norms and explore their beliefs.

Modern spirituality transcends traditional religious practices, representing a reality greater than ourselves. This movement, rooted in the New Age of the 70s and 80s, promoted community through astrology, yoga, meditation, and tarot. Recently, these ideas have resurged and blended with our digital age, reflecting a consumer desire for more unconventional connections with brands.

Young generations find comfort in the surreal. The chaos of social media and the tiredness of the online experience has led to a shift toward the weird and unconventional, as many actively seek out and celebrate the strange and unusual.

Brands cannot solve an existential crisis. However, they can create mythology, magic, rituals, and community that offer spiritual comfort — a moment of transcendence.

This article explores the integration of spirituality into brand narratives and visual identity in three key chapters:

• The fundamental values and practices of spirituality in the context of branding.

• Divine Design and evoking emotion through symbolism, surrealism, and cultural references.

• Considerations for brands aiming to achieve cult status by leveraging the language of spirituality to thrive in the coming years.

“As Gen Z-ers and millennials, who will make up approximately 61% of the global personal luxury goods market by 2026, find new guidance in spirituality, it becomes evident that spirituality is a significant trend among these demographics. A closer look at millennials and Gen Z-ers in the US and UK reveals that approximately 80% of them feel a sense of spirituality and believe in a higher power, according to Virtue” — Welcome to the “New Age” of Spiritual Luxury, Highsnobiety

Chapter 1: Weaving spirituality into brand narratives, beyond clichés

Big or small, brands that engage with spirituality to fuel the next generation’s appetite for the metaphysical can consider values such as radical transparency, integrity, or unapologetic self-expression. To effectively weave spirituality into a brand narrative, we first need to understand the idea of spirituality in the context of branding.

Branding goes beyond merely naming a company or product; it creates myths and symbols that foster emotional connections. When done well, it helps form a unique connection between the brand and consumers, sometimes even serving as the foundation for social communities. Communities thrive on shared identities, belonging, and meaning, which drives consumerism connecting people with specific lifestyles and product desires.

Define and understand spirituality in the context of branding

Branding transcends merely naming a company or product; it creates myths and symbols that foster emotional connections. Effective branding forms unique psychological associations and identities between brands and consumers, often serving as the foundation for social communities.

In the branding world, spirituality serves to foster purpose and authenticity. It's the raw, unfiltered drive to connect deeply with customers and communities, going beyond superficial transactions and encouraging emotional bonds.

Brands that honestly embody spirituality prioritise bold transparency, unapologetic sustainability, and a rebellious commitment to making a real impact. The relationship between brands and consumers has evolved, especially among younger generations These consumers desire connections that reflect their values and identities.

In a world where brands and image are more important than the product itself, spirituality is the opportunity to get inside consumers’ minds and hearts, offering opportunities for profound connection.

Do we expect brands to share our values, connect us, and guide us forward?

Whilst this profound connection is important for a long-lasting relationship, spirituality is also an opportunity to get inside consumers' wallets.

Consumerism thrives by connecting people to brands that represent certain lifestyles, thus making products a manifestation of one's community, mindset and values.

Which spiritual values can create an emotional engagement with an audience seeking meaningful connection and alternative narratives

For brands engaging in spirituality, their values are designed to illuminate the brand’s essence. We can see some concept overlap between brands engaging in higher forces and religious mechanisms. These concepts include a clear vision, a sense of belonging, an enemy, sensory appeal, storytelling, grandeur, evangelism, and symbols.

To cover these concepts, brands engaging with spirituality can consider the following spiritual values:

Radical transparency: complete openness about business practices, sourcing, and decision-making processes. Brands that embrace radical transparency reveal the good, the bad, and the ugly, fostering an unfiltered and honest relationship with customers. This daring honesty can create a powerful bond based on trust and respect.

Unapologetic self-expression: Brands that encourage and embody bold, fearless self-expression resonate with customers who value individuality and authenticity. This value is about celebrating uniqueness and rejecting conformity, appealing to consumers who crave originality and want to be part of a brand that stands out, a community or something bigger they can grasp but can relate to.

Innovation: This value focuses on challenging the status quo and continually seeking to break new ground. Brands that prioritize innovation are seen as pioneers and visionaries, attracting customers who are eager for fresh, cutting-edge experiences and solutions.

Integrity: means upholding strong ethical principles and being honest in all dealings. A brand that operates with integrity gains the trust of its customers, as people appreciate and support businesses that are fair, responsible, and reliable. This trust forms a solid foundation for a loyal customer base.

Soulful storytelling: At the heart of spiritual branding is an authentic and compelling story. Spiritual brands are focused on the journey, the trials, and the triumphs that brought it into existence. A brand with a strong narrative is used as a beacon, drawing kindred spirits who see themselves in the story and can resonate with the struggles and wins.

Practical steps for brands to take when engaging with their strategy

Brands today are called to transcend traditional business goals and tap into deeper, more spiritual fulfillments. This involves:

Creating Mythology: Develop narratives that resonate deeply with consumers, providing a sense of belonging and purpose.

Invoking Magic: Craft experiences that inspire awe and wonder, making the brand memorable and impactful.

Fostering Community: Build spaces where like-minded individuals can connect and support each other, strengthening the bond with the brand.

Establishing Rituals: Introduce consistent and meaningful practices that consumers can incorporate into their lives, offering a sense of continuity and comfort.

Transcending Transactions: Although consumerism is still relevant, focus on transformation rather than just transactions. A clear mission and vision reflecting spiritual principles can lead to sustainability, community service, and ethical practices.

Promote Environmental Stewardship: Implement eco-friendly practices in production, packaging, and logistics, mirroring the respect for nature found in many spiritual systems.

By mirroring these actions, brands can go beyond the traditional profit-centric model, fostering deeper connections with their customers and contributing positively to society. This approach enhances brand loyalty and creates a legacy of positive impact.

Chapter 2: Divine design: Evoking emotion through spiritual symbolism, surrealism and cultural references. What does that look like?

Diving into Divine Design, we examine how brands can evoke emotion through spiritual symbolism, surrealism, and cultural references. This chapter will reveal how these elements can be used to craft compelling visual identities, ultimately enhancing the brand narratives and making it tangible

According to Canadian journalist and columnist Naomi Klein, “Branding is about a global lexicon of imagery, music, icons” – it transfuses a code into our brains. By referencing elements like nature, religious iconography and astrology, brands can resonate with the next generation’s growing interest in the divine and the need for a bit of magic in everyday life.

This approach goes beyond aesthetics. Incorporating these elements into graphic language reflects a deeper desire to navigate worldly matters with some form of divine guidance.

Looking back towards more divine sources offers an innovative path forward. It’s an opportunity to create a visual identity and develop graphic language that responds to a need for transcendence.

A way to translate this concept into tangible identity is to design with the following principles and themes in mind.

Symbolism and historical cues: By integrating historical spiritual elements with contemporary aesthetics into designs, designers are giving spirituality a new coat of paint – one that is both reflective of the past and innovative for the future. There is a notable return to spiritual and historical visual cues, an effort to rebuild the strong, long-lasting communities that once thrived on such symbols.

The informal support systems we once had have broken down over time. “Where we used to have shared collective wisdom, wise ones, crones, seers, even intergenerational households, we are now more separated than ever from our traditions and elders. Where we used to have physical places to gather, contact the divine, feel a connection, place an emphasis on intuition, those places are becoming less and less,” Natasha Khan Tarot designer.

Symbolism is crucial in creating spiritual connections and depth in narratives as well as gathering community. Brands use elements such as nature, religious iconography, astrology, and metaphysical symbols to evoke a sense of spirituality – emphasising a collective yearning for deeper meaning and community.

Typeface designs inspired by ancient covenants and sacred texts exemplify this trend.

The project below, designed for artist Justin Aversano, mirrors the enchantment of NFTs in a tangible format, using a custom typeface inspired by the Golden Dawn’s cipher, alongside Romie Regular and Italic (designed by Margot Lévêque).

Transformational process: Graphic language showing evolution and growth potential takes centre stage in spiritually-inspired branding, mirroring the evolution of nature and personal introspection. Brands embracing a fluid and adaptable visual language, allow reflection, openness to change and evolution.

This approach not only aligns with the personal growth journeys of many individuals but also infuses brands with a dynamic, ever-evolving character that resonates deeply with their audiences.

Designer and activist Julia Watson writes about what we can learn from the Khasi peoples’ Living Bridge Foundation in her book, Lo-TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism and its potentially rippling impact on products, graphic design and assembly.

Surrealism and mystical imagery: The trend of "eerie softness" in visual art and branding reflects a collective desire to disconnect from information overload and seek deeper meaning – exploring the unconscious mind and dreams.

It evokes a dreamlike atmosphere where gentle, blurred visuals and soft light create a comforting yet unsettling mood as if something hidden and mysterious lies just beyond clear perception.

Eerie Softness doesn’t necessarily inspire fear in a traditional sense; instead, it evokes a sense of mystery and a quiet unease, as if something is slightly off or out of place. The feeling of "eerie softness" is one of being caught in a moment that is both beautiful and strange.

Mystical imagery provides a soothing counterbalance to the chaotic world and digital landscape. It is poetical and brings a layer of appropriation that is a powerful tool for brands to talk to individuals

“I think mysterious images appeal to us so much right now because, with everything that’s happening around the world and in our daily lives, there is a growing desire to disengage from the constant influx of news and take a respite from reality,” says Sung Hwa Kim.

Sung Hwa is an artist working with these themes, drawn to the power of luminosity to transport us somewhere new. There are many forging their own paths in this realm, including Lucy O’Doherty, Weishan Yang and Iris Wildros, whose ambient portfolio often explores experiences and feelings.

By using irrational juxtapositions of imagery to construct a surreal story, brands can, like surrealist artists, strive to disobey conventional aesthetic standards. They can challenge logic and reason and explore out-of-the-ordinary human experiences.

Immediate experience, the micro-moment of magic: The power of a single moment can surpass the influence of a full story.

Narratives shape our understanding of products, companies, and the universe they’ve built. However, focusing on a "moment" rather than an entire narrative is an opportunity to emphasize immediate experiences over traditional storytelling.

This approach reflects a broader trend in contemporary culture towards valuing present experiences and emotions.

Sometimes the power of a single moment can surpass the influence of a full story. It's a short-term sensation that can be more impactful or memorable due to its immediacy and intensity.

What does the future hold? Chapter 3 shows how to move beyond spirituality and examines the potential for brands to embrace unconventional strategies to stand out in an ever-evolving marketplace.

Chapter 3: For a brand looking ahead, what comes next? From spirituality to surrealism and nonsensical graphic language.

As we look ahead, the use of nonsensical language and surrealism in branding is set to grow. Visuals are shifting towards softer, more nonsensical representations, focusing on feelings, dreams, and ethereal elements – inviting personal interpretation.

This shift aligns with the cultural acceptance of non-conformity, resonating deeply with Generation Z, who celebrate the strange and unusual. The integration of technology and cyberspace further enhances this, merging technological advancements with spiritual principles to create emotionally resilient visual identities that balance rational design with human connection.

Nonsensical language: According to Liz Gorny and Lucy Bourton things are about to get more mysterious. Visuals will skew simpler, softer and more nonsensical. Rather than looking to any one era or symbol for inspiration, artists and designers might explore a feeling instead.

Dreams have consistently been a reference for artists and designers and we can predict that, by extension brand imagery will be harder to explain – or even see at all, with soft focus, light flares and ethereal apparitions in abundance.

It is exciting to enter an era where brands will communicate with images that are open for interpretation, or at least offer that space for personal meaning. This feels like a logical extension of the mystical appeal and a search for your own beliefs.

Non-Conformity as a Superpower (Surrealist Marketing): By encouraging and amplifying unique eccentricities, brands can turn individuality into a superpower rather than something that alienates. Creating visual identities and brand narratives that celebrate non-conformity helps brands resonate deeply with young people and allows them to express their true selves confidently.

According to a report by Vice, 86% of young people stated it’s normal to be weird, 67% it’s weird to be normal.

Generation Z, in their quest to embrace authentic weirdness, is leading to a future that is bound to get fascinatingly strange. Fashion houses and artists are already capitalizing on this trend, embracing surrealism and unconventional ad campaigns to attract younger audiences – especially through surrealist marketing.

Iconic examples include Jacquemus' jumbo bags on wheels and Isabel Marant's 'Attack of the Giant Toothpaste' in Paris, showcasing a bold departure from the norm and effectively utilizing graphic language that breaks away from traditional visuals. These visual cues indicate a broader cultural shift where non-conformity is not just accepted but celebrated, influencing brand strategies and visual identities.

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The merging of technology, cyberspace and spirituality: The growing importance of technology and cyberspace in consumers’ search for meaning and transcendence cannot be overlooked. As digital spaces become more integral to daily life, they also serve as new arenas for spiritual exploration and self/community expression.

Emerging tech pioneers, designers, space explorers, researchers and environmentalists, are building positive futures inspired where ­ancient wisdom and non-Western ­traditions shape what looks to be a compassionate and harmonious future.

Google's Empathy Lab, incorporates spiritual principles to enhance user experience and brand connection. This blend of technology and spirituality helps brands develop more meaningful, emotionally resilient visual identities, balancing rational design with human connection.

Conclusion: Considerations for brands

The ideal for a brand is to achieve cult status. This represents the pinnacle of recognizable uniqueness and emotional influence, allowing the brand to become a touchstone for belonging, identification, community, individual and collective emotions, and rituals.

By leveraging the language of spirituality and emotional resonance, brands can seize a tremendous opportunity to thrive in the coming years.

Consider:

1. Embracing weirdness as a virtue and seek narratives that defy established expectations.

To truly inspire authentic weirdness, it's crucial for brands to create inclusive spaces and narratives that celebrate individuality.

To challenge conventional thinking, incorporate diverse perspectives and points of view into the design process to explore new imaginative territories. By encouraging and amplifying unique eccentricities, brands can turn individuality into a superpower rather than something that alienates. Creating visual identities and brand narratives that celebrate non-conformity helps brands resonate deeply with young people and allows them to express their true selves confidently.

2. Focusing on how the brand “feels” more than on rational storytelling.

It is exciting to enter an era where brands will communicate with images that are open for interpretation, or at least offer that space for personal meaning. It’s a challenge for brands as they must accept that they can’t control their destiny entirely.

3. Morphing Today's 'real' into tomorrow's 'surreal'.

Research has shown that the spiritual, the material, the sacred and the profane, are irreversibly intertwined.

"We see this as both a cultural response to the absurdity of modern life and as an industry-wide response to the powerful generative tools we have at our disposal," says Jessica Strelioff, designer at Goodside Studio in an article for Creative Boom, "This trend is part escapism from the daily grind, part yearning for play. We think we'll see a tendency toward the surreal in 2024."

In practice visual identity and brand can tap into imaginative lush, “Opulent world scapes in rich and vivid detail," says Danielle LaRoy, a strategist at Goodside Studio. “Smart brands will keep customers at the centre of these otherworldly experiences, transporting people in a way that feels uniquely personal and distinctly playful.”