Originality is overrated

Copying other people’s ideas is ok. Sounds a bit controversial, but hear me out.

Copying (or taking A LOT of inspiration from) is a bad idea when you are copying something from in the same category or market as your brand. But if you are working on a toothpaste and you see something that you can copy from an airline? Go for it!

In fact, looking for ways to apply existing solutions to new problems is a great strategy for creativity in general. I am often a bit miffed when someone criticises work for being a bit of a rip-off of something else, when that something else is in a different category and from the other side of the world.

If it solves the problem and there is zero chance of causing confusion with your audience, E.g “Have I seen that before somewhere?” Then there shouldn’t be any hesitation. The only people who might notice are fellow creatives, and you should ignore them as much as you can.

Coming up with genuinely new ideas is also really unlikely. Its just that on a planet of eight billion, you are probably not the first person to think of that idea. You see this in advertising a lot. Ideas from 10 years ago repackaged for a new audience. Agencies never say this of course. Clients prefer to think they are getting "fresh” ideas.

Of course, you shouldn’t make exact reproductions, and you shouldn’t just copy anything. There is skill in identifying the right thing to copy in the first place and knowing which bits to leave in and leave out. That might be just as hard as coming up with something from scratch.

Takeaway
– It’s ok to copy ideas as long as you borrow from different markets and categories
– Being good at remixing existing ideas is a valuable skill in its own right.

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