The writing’s on the wall. How gallery manifesto writing can save brand storytelling

Hi, it's Matt here.

This week, I am encouraging you all to get out and go to a gallery show.
For 28 years, my role has been to identify an idea, a problem, or an ambition.
And then make that ‘the thing’ for others: be they clients or colleagues.
Keeping that thing top of mind. Revealing how all the other things connect to it.
And empowering them to make their thing work toward that thing.

More often than not, that has taken the form of 100 words.
Short sentences. Sometimes poetic. What some may dub a ‘manifesto’.
Connecting brand elements to guide people toward a better place.
And I wanted to share a trade secret. Okay. It's a guilty pleasure.

The copy on the wall, which greets you before you enter the show at the gallery.
That is the secret sauce.
And we need that sauce more than ever.
Imagine a brand where every ad, post, and email feels like it’s from a different company. That’s the reality many brands face today.

While brands struggle to find clarity in a fragmented communications landscape.
Artists have mastered the art of telling a cohesive story.
They weave a shared story that connects everything, despite the wide variation in the works. For brands, this is a lesson worth learning.

The modern brand crisis

Today's brands face an unprecedented challenge: fragmentation.
A single brand message now splinters across a mosaic of hundreds of touchpoints:
social posts, packaging, ads, apps, emails, customer service scripts.
Each piece tells part of the story, but how many tell the same story?
Each piece can drift, becoming a chaotic patchwork of disconnected messages.
Gone are the days of phased engagement; everything communicates en-masse.

The need for this glue to work harder is further exacerbated by the changing nature of work.
Many hands are now marshaling brands.
Often, there is only a partial historical relationship with the host organisation.
Fractional x, freelance y. We need to reduce the time spent ‘aligning’ many teams.
Create a clear and compelling brand story.

An internal brand manifesto is now non-negotiable.
It’s the strategic backbone. The soul of your brand.
It’s a rallying cry that fuels creativity and drives action.
The source code that guides every decision.
From creative briefs to customer service scripts.

The gallery solution

Art galleries have mastered what brands struggle with:
distilling complex ideas into powerful, memorable statements.
Their wall texts act as great manifestos.
They usually use only 100 words to reflect years of work and thought.

The penny dropped for me in 2006.
The Welfare Show at The Serpentine blew by mind.
One simple concept expressed in so many different ways.
It mirrored the work we were pioneering at Naked at the time.

I keep going back to galleries for inspiration because they adapt well.
Art galleries, once reliant on singular works or artists to draw audiences, had to change.
Over time, they shifted to curating cohesive exhibitions that told a broader story.
Between 2022 and 2025, group shows accelerated at the expense of solo shows.
Connecting many pieces into a unified narrative or theme for greater impact.
Attracting larger and more diverse audiences by showcasing a variety of artistic styles.
Sharing costs and resources while fostering community among participants.

They began to mirror what was happening in the marketing world.
From relying on one big campaign to creating ecosystems of content.
Like each work in the group show, each piece contributes to a larger story.
Both industries are great at telling stories that connect various parts into a complete picture.

Prompts, not playbooks.

In a world of endless content, the gallery wall reminds us that less can be more.
One clear story, well told, will travel further than a thousand disconnected messages.
Your fractional x, freelance y - they don’t use playbooks; nobody does, sorry.
They use prompts to help shape brand communications.

A 100-word manifesto will also serve as a foundational prompt, ready to copy and paste.
Something to help maintain a consistent framework for their LLM dance.
Ensure AI outputs align with the brand’s voice and values.

4 steps

Start with the essence; make it memorable.
Build your wall text; every word must earn its place.
Let it guide everything - let it evolve, but don’t dilute it.
Look at Patagonia; they only use 19 words, and they look great on a wall.

So, the next time you’re struggling with your brand narrative, take a step back.
Visit a gallery. Look at the titles and wall texts.
Study how they distill complex ideas into simple, powerful statements.
Write your 100-word manifesto. And watch how it transforms your brand storytelling.
The writing’s on the wall - we need to pay attention.

Matt Hardisty,
Founder, PeaceCabin.earth | Former Strategy Partner, AMV BBDO and Mother

‍