Art. 09
Title
Merchandise matters
DATE
T-SHIRT NORDICA
phot. katoo peeters
©2026
phot. katoo peeters
©2026
E&O PATTERN BAG
phot. katoo peeters
©2026
Why branded merchandise deserves more thought
Branded merchandise is often approached in a fairly predictable way.
A pen. A tote bag. A T-shirt with a logo. Practical, familiar and easy to produce. Often, it is treated as little more than something to be handed out.
Yet merchandise can be so much more.
Merchandise as a brand experience
A brand comes to life across many different touchpoints. From packaging and campaigns to physical spaces and digital platforms, every interaction shapes how a brand looks, feels and is remembered.
Why should merchandise be any different?
A physical object is one of the most tangible ways for someone to experience a brand. It can become part of their daily life. Something they use, wear or keep. And that makes the brand feel a little more real.
The question is not simply: Where do we put the logo? It is: How can we turn this into an object that truly feels
like the brand?
Start with the object
The strongest merchandise ideas often begin before anything is designed. They start with choosing the right object.
What feels relevant to the brand? What would its audience genuinely use? And what feels like it belongs within that brand’s world?
A hotel, a cultural institution and a fashion label shouldn’t all end up with the same tote bag simply because a tote bag is an obvious choice. The object itself is already part
of the concept.
Choose something because it is easy or expected, and you may end up with just another giveaway. Choose something that has a genuine connection with the brand, and suddenly the object becomes much more interesting.
Would you still want it without the logo?
For us, good merchandise is something people would genuinely want to own, even if they had never heard of the brand.
The material feels right. The shape works. The quality is noticeable. It is functional, beautiful or simply something you would choose to use or wear.
That means moving beyond the instinct to place a logo in the most prominent spot. Branding doesn’t always need to be obvious; it can be expressed in much more subtle ways.
A specific colour, an unexpected material, a distinctive pattern, a considered finish or a small embroidered detail can communicate a brand without shouting its name.
The E&O bag is a good example. Rather than simply placing a logo on a standard tote bag, we developed a custom pattern that connects with the brand’s visual identity. The logo is there, but it isn’t the main attraction. It is first and foremost a bag that people want to use. The branding is part of the design rather than something added on top of it.
“The best merchandise is the kind that makes you forget it’s merchandise at all.”
— Victor Warnier
©.OTG
Thoughtful does not have to mean complicated
Not every merchandise item requires a completely new pattern or a complex production process.
Sometimes, it is simply about choosing the right object, investing in quality and finding the right production partner.
Our OTG coffee cups, developed in collaboration with Anmade, are a good example. We still regularly receive compliments about them today.
Not because they are loud or complicated, but because they are well made and feel like they naturally belong to OTG.
Whether the idea is simple or complex, we always come back to the same question: Would people still want to use this if they had not received it for free?
From giveaway to object of desire
Good merchandise isn’t about making something bigger, louder or more complicated. It is about making
the right choices.
Sometimes that means developing a custom pattern or a completely bespoke product. Sometimes it simply means finding a great object, making sure the quality is right and working with the right supplier.
The goal is the same: create something that has value beyond the logo. Something people choose to use, wear and keep.
That is when merchandise stops being just a giveaway and becomes part of the brand itself.
phot. OTG
©2026
phot. katoo peeters
©2026
