Every once in a while, a memory from an old project drifts back to you — one of those “what could’ve been” ideas that never quite made it past the finish line.
A few years ago, we were working with a new financial firm on their brand identity. Together, we came to the conclusion that they wanted to be fast. Swift. Different. They wanted to run with the wind — to feel more like motion than money.
Somewhere in that process, the idea of the cheetah was born. It became their symbol of speed and grace. They leaned into it hard — a cheetah on a leash, bright yellow palette, bold cheetah print accents. Funky, confident, fearless. It wasn’t your average financial firm look, and that’s what we loved about it.
We mocked up visuals of a powerful woman in a yellow suit, standing beside a cheetah — the embodiment of energy and control. It was sleek, glamorous, and unapologetically different. But like a lot of wild ideas, this one got lost somewhere along the way. It never made it to launch. The company went a safer direction.
Fast forward to last week — I saw Sabrina Carpenter’s photo shoot for Saturday Night Live, and there it was: a strikingly similar image. A bold woman in bright yellow, with a dog by her side. I had to laugh.
It’s funny how ideas work. Sometimes they never see daylight. Sometimes they resurface years later — maybe in a music video, a magazine cover, or even in the collective imagination of someone you’ve never met.
Ideas don’t really disappear. They just hang in the air, waiting for the right moment — or the right person — to catch them again.
So if you’ve ever had an idea that didn’t get approved, or a concept that never saw the light of day, take heart. It might still be running out there somewhere — fast, free, and wild — just like a cheetah.
And no, I don’t think Sabrina Carpenter needs a financial advisor. But she might’ve caught a glimpse of the same wind we did.
