A Change of Brand

We wrap up our "Inside the Studio" mini-series and pull back the curtain on Matchstic, a US-based brand consultancy with 20+ years of experience. We sit down with Creative Director Brit Blankenship and Messaging Director Cameron Lebrechet to explore what makes an ideal client, the mantras they find themselves repeating throughout the branding process, and how AI is—or isn’t—shaping their...

In this bonus episode, Blake sits down with Sunny Bonnell, co-founder of Motto, a brand transformation agency helping visionary leaders in the tech and innovation space. Sunny shares Motto’s 20-year evolution from a small Southern startup to a 50-person agency known for aligning leadership, culture, and brand strategy from the inside out. They also discuss recent rebranding controversies, such as...

Is it possible to build a successful agency by giving away your process? In this bonus episode, we go inside the Philadelphia-based studio Smith & Diction with co-founders Chara and Mike Smith. Known for breaking agency norms, they’ve built a reputation by sharing their process and work-in-progress design files publicly. Is sharing their secret sauce… actually their secret sauce? Learn more as...

Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer, home to a vast catalogue of categories and sub-brands. But as the company expanded, its brand architecture became increasingly fragmented. To bring clarity and cohesion, Amazon turned to Koto. Executive Creative Director Arthur Foliard shares how he and his team rebranded 50 sub-brands across 15 global markets—touching everything from visual identity...

Walmart is one of the largest retailers in the world. With 4700 stores, thousands of fleet vehicles, and countless assets online, there’s no chance a rebrand could be an overnight flip of the switch. It would have to be an evolution. Tosh Hall, Chief Creative Officer at JKR, and David Hartman, VP of Creative for Walmart, speak to how they approached a brand refresh for a company of this scale. To...

How many projects require three brands to be developed within a year? For Utah’s newest professional sports team, they needed visuals for the announcement of getting a hockey team, the temporary Utah Hockey Club, and finally the Utah Mammoth. Ben Barnes, Senior Brand Director at the Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth, shares how he and his team navigated this mammoth of a branding project. To see the chan...

One of the most sensational rebrands of 2024 was Jaguar, the British luxury car brand that seemed to leave their legacy on the side of the road. While the uproar of negative reactions felt unanimous, a few brave souls dared to call it genius. In this episode we hear from brand positioning expert and author Laura Ries as well as technology journalist Dr. James Morris to get their opinion on the Jag...

Manischewitz is a beloved staple in any Jewish pantry. However, both the brand and the Kosher food market were on the decline. Can a rebrand not only lift them both back up, but rekindle joy and connection too? Lisa Smith, former Executive Creative Director at JKR, speaks to how she and her team did more than create snazzy new packaging, and instead offered a seat at the table. To see the change o...

AI has been making waves across industries–and for much longer than we think. It’s weird, messy, and maybe magic. As innovation accelerates, can the branding world truly embrace AI without losing the human touch? Teemu Suviala, Global Chief Creative Officer at Landor, takes a deep dive into AI's growing role in branding, from creative chaos to multi-sensory storytelling. Will this flip your s...

Changes don’t have to be drastic to be delightful. Sometimes all it takes is a little rearranging and refining, like furniture design legend Herman Miller, which unveiled their first rebrand in almost 25 years. Take a seat as Garrett Corcoran, Design Director at Order, shares how he and his team embraced this legacy and refined what was already deemed a symbol of American design excellence. To see...

With a muddled awareness, misperceptions, and slowing donation growth, the Humane Society of the United States knew that after 70+ years it was time for a change–and that started with the name. But renaming takes courage. Bethany Lesko, Partner at Lippincott, shares how she and her team approached preserving existing equity while gaining new ground, ultimately to develop a unified brand identity s...

As New York City FC approached their 10th season, the club set its sights on cementing its place among the city’s most iconic teams. But in a city of strong opinions, it wouldn’t be easy. Soccer supporters are famously passionate and loyal, while New Yorkers take spirited to another level. Milo Kowalski, Senior Creative Director at NYCFC, and Justin Au, Creative Director at Gretel, share the play-...

Rebranding any global brand is a challenge, but especially in fintech where trust is non-negotiable. How do you approach rebranding a financial giant like PayPal? Andrea Trabucco-Campos, Partner at Pentagram, reveals how trust wasn’t just a goal for the brand’s audiences, but was a guiding principle within the design process itself. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com...

We’re stepping into the overlooked and underappreciated world of verbals to reflect on the best (and worst) brand writing of 2024. From one-off campaigns to full verbal identities, which brands made this year’s naughty and nice lists? To weigh in on the good, the bad, and the missed opportunities is Carissa Justice, Founder of The Subtext, an online destination by and for writers, amplifying uniqu...

When Pepsi’s overly philosophical rebrand launched in 2009, it was a real head scratcher for average consumers and design aficionados alike. While their 125th anniversary provided an opportunity for change, how do you even begin to rebrand such a global company like Pepsi? In this masterclass on playing the long game, Mauro Porcini, Chief Design Officer at Pepsico, tells the story of how he and hi...

When EA Sports and FIFA parted ways in 2023, there was just one minor problem: the popular soccer video game’s brand was entirely wrapped up in the FIFA name. Nils Leonard, Co-Founder of Uncommon Creative Studio, shares how he and his team approached creating a FIFA-less brand that honored the video game’s 30-year legacy while positioning the brand to thrive for another 30 years and beyond. But wo...

Twitter’s overnight transformation into X is still a mystery. What would cause a brand to take such extreme measures as to shed its identity completely? And what lessons, if any, can we take from this massive Change of Brand? Co-hosts Blake Howard and Tracy Clark go head to head in our first ever Debate of Brand®. Also, industry experts Armin Vit, editor and writer behind Brand New, and Jason Cies...

With their rising success and a cult-like following, Reddit had ambitions of enhancing their global presence. But would the desire for change push too far for fans? And would their beloved mascot, Snoo, become a casualty? Natasha Jen, Partner at Pentagram, demonstrates how it’s possible for a quirky brand to grow up while still keeping its charm. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit acha...

The cannabis industry is basically the Wild West. In an emerging market, how do you execute a rebrand for a dispensary while juggling state-by-state regulations and varied public perception? Gavin Hurrell, Creative Director at Turner Duckworth, shares how he and his team approached their work for RISE, a growing retail dispensary leading the movement to democratize cannabis. To see the change of b...

In 2023, we saw Eddie Bauer and Johnson & Johnson retire their widely recognizable script logo for a basic sans serif type, causing a sweep of panic in the design community. Are all script logos doomed? To find out whether this is an actual trend, we consulted type experts James Bowie, Fast Company contributor and sociologist at Northern Arizona University who studies trends in logo design and...

You thought your clients were tough? Try having a branch of the military as a client. To combat their brand and recruitment challenges, the U.S. Army enlisted the help of Siegel+Gale, a partner within Team DDB. Matt Egan, Managing Director, Strategy and Jason Miller, Creative Director at Siegel+Gale, share how they handled an intimidating room full of generals to deliver the Army’s 2023 rebrand. T...

LG is an electronics giant with one of the most instantly recognizable logos. But with decades of brand equity in their smiling icon and “Life’s Good” tagline, how do you signal a shift in the marketplace without throwing away everything you’ve built?  David Stevens, Executive Strategy Director and Tom Carey, Senior Creative Director at Wolff Olins share how they approached bringing “the face of t...

Once F1 was acquired by a mass media company in 2017, they faced a crossroads that many legacy brands face: How can they honor their storied past while attracting a new, more global audience? In our most requested episode yet, we’re zooming in on verbal identity with Mike Reed, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Reed Words, in the driver’s seat. To see the change of brand for yourself, visit acha...

After Glassdoor’s acquisition of Fishbowl in 2023, they enlisted the help of Deanna German, Creative Director at Koto, and her team to reposition them as more than just a workplace insight platform, but a place for community conversation. The catch: Glassdoor requested an open design process, meaning Koto would share design concepts with the public early and often. How can you have such a wide ran...

As a highly successful and ever-expanding company, the Minecraft brand began spawning major inconsistencies as it was built over time; block by block. But in 2022, they released a brand update that tidied up the logo system and individual identities for their ever-growing amount of sub-brands, extensions, and products. Harry Elonen, Senior Brand Manager for Minecraft at Mojang Studios, shares how...