Open ten competitor websites in the same category and you'll likely see the same rounded sans-serif, the same soft gradient, the same stock photo of someone laughing at a salad. This isn't a coincidence — it's what happens when brands copy the safest-looking option in their category instead of asking what they actually stand for.
Sameness feels safe in the short term. It also guarantees you're invisible the moment a customer scrolls past.
Different isn't a risk when the alternative is being forgettable.
The way out isn't more creativity for its own sake — it's specificity. A strong brand makes a handful of clear, sometimes uncomfortable choices about tone, colour and voice, and holds onto them long enough for people to recognise the brand without seeing the logo.
That's the real job of brand strategy: not decoration, but deciding what you're willing to leave out.