Fail Quietly, But on Purpose.

Not every mistake is an accident.

Sometimes, the best move is the one that feels wrong at first.

And that decision? It sticks.

At Wieden+Kennedy’s Portland office, the agency behind Nike, a full wall reads:

FAIL HARDER, built from over 100,000 push pins.

They could’ve printed it.

They didn’t.

Because that would’ve missed the point.

They chose the longer, more tedious way.

The one that hurt your fingers. The one that took days.

It proved the message by living it.

Sometimes the mistake is the strategy, if you commit to it.

We see this in design and tech all the time:

Apple Maps’ early flop became a data-collection goldmine

Tinder’s swipe was born from a broken button test

Mailchimp’s tone started as a joke, and became its whole voice

Sometimes you don’t clean up the mess.

You frame it.

Because the hardest route often ends up being the most aligned.

The wrong way, done deliberately, becomes the boldest move.

Feel like you’re doing it the hard way?

Maybe you’re doing it the real way.

→ Let’s Talk 

Ian Adams, Founder the little red sofa

Before founding the little red sofa, I led strategy and creative for brands like Jeep, HSBC, and Unilever at top global agencies and in-house teams across 8 countries. Now I work with founders to turn brand clarity into sustainable growth.