The Effectiveness Gap

In the final episode of The Effectiveness Gap, James Cutting, founder of T=Ø, joins hosts Nike Stellamans and Marcel Verhaaf to explore how automation is transforming brand and packaging design.  James explains how brand map technology and AI-driven workflows are giving brands real-time control over their assets, eliminating repetitive stages and cutting production time from months to minutes. By...

How to avoid a great design falling apart at the printer. Learn more about how AI-driven colour correction and cloud-based approvals are revolutionising the process. Imagine seeing live press measurements on calibrated screens from anywhere in the world, bringing original intent and final output together in real-time.  In Episode 9 of The Effectiveness Gap, we talk with Leigh Evans, founder of DTP...

Research plays a crucial role in design, but too often, the wrong methods are used for the wrong challenges. In this episode of The Effectiveness Gap, we talk with Martin de Munnik, neuromarketing expert and co-founder of Neurensics, about how neuroscience helps uncover the emotions behind consumer behaviour. As Martin explains, 95% of our decisions are driven by subconscious emotion, not logic. S...

When design and communication teams come together, creativity can either collide or connect. In this episode of  The Effectiveness Gap , Ernst-Jan Koomans from Onbewolkt & 25 Graden and Bianca Faaij from Cortina join Nike Stellamans and Marcel Verhaaf to explore how all parties can bridge the gap between these two powerful disciplines and make magic happen. We unpack why design and communicati...

Culture isn’t decoration, it’s strategy. Ignore it, and your brand risks missing the mark. Embrace it, and design can truly resonate across borders. In Episode 6 of The Effectiveness Gap, we ask: why is cultural relevance such a powerful driver of brand value? With Saskia Maarse, intercultural speaker, trainer & author, and Geert Van Aelst, Head of Sustainability at Südzucker, we explore how c...

And in the beginning, there was the word. Before people see your brand, they hear it. In Episode 5 of The Effectiveness Gap we go deep into verbal branding: names, tone of voice, and the words that make design work harder. Two conversations: with Michael Dijkstra Taurel, founder of Globrands and widely regarded as the “godfather” of brand naming, and Jasper Gabriëlse, sustainable entrepreneur and...

Great packs start long before the label. Episode 4 of The Effectiveness Gap  dives into the symbiosis between 2D brand design and 3D structural design, and why aligning them early changes everything. Our guests are Ronald Lewerissa, Packaging Innovation Lead at Generous Minds, and Marcel Verkaik, Creative Director at FLEX/design. We unpack the real-world pitfalls: 2D sprint timelines versus 3D mar...

Great ideas die on shelf, not in slides. Product innovation in FMCG is hard for new and existing brands alike. Multiple markets. Mature categories. High stakes, big investments and no second chances. Many hurdles between idea and aisle. In Episode 3 of The Effectiveness Gap , we talk with Costas Papaikonomou of Unaterra and Arun Prabhu of Phi Factors about the real pitfalls and how brand design an...

Let’s be honest: writing a briefing can be a nightmare. Too short and it leaves the team guessing. Too long and you’re flooded by unnecessary details and nobody reads it. Yet the briefing is supposed to be the most important document in the design process. So… what actually makes a briefing “good”? For Episode 2 of The Effectiveness Gap , we put this tricky question to Meike ter Braak and Meike va...

The design process is hopelessly ineffective! Where to start to get more out of your effort and investments for your new brand and packaging? We start this series with Bas Smit, Founder & CEO of ELIX Nutraceutical. As former senior leader in innovation and marketing at Barry Callebaut and Unilever, Bas gained a wealth of experience how to lead product innovation and brand design projects. We t...