Front and Center

Wedge is a brand and design studio based in Montreal, Canada. They create distinct brand signatures for the world we live in. Guided by the core belief that "everything can be special." Wedge has earned global recognition, winning Studio of the Year at The Dieline Awards for two consecutive years, among other accolades from D&AD, ADC New York, and more. They've partnered with founders like Matty Matheson and Blake Lively, built iconic brands like Vacation Sunscreen and Paro, and rebranded for iconic brands like Canada Dry and Mott's. We are so excited to welcome the co-founders, Justin Lortie and Sarah Di Domenico, along with (for the first time in Front and Center History) child Luca! Enjoy!

Alex and Kevin buss it down from a design and cultural perspective. You know they had to talk about Kincks Mania, The Rizzler still making waves, Mr. Beast’s new look, The Outdoor Boys hanging it up, the new Pope, HBO Max coming back, the Utah Mmmoth brand, White Castle x Heeley’s, Jaguar firing their agency, and more!

Talia Cotton is a designer, coder, and educator who is recognized as a leading specialist in the intersection of design and technology. In 2023 she founded Cotton, a creative agency pursuing purposeful design work with code. Talia also teaches intro and advanced coding at Parsons School of Design. She has been recognized by The One Club, TDC, Fast Company, and It's Nice That, and has inspired audiences around the globe on The Cotton Global worldwide tour.

Talia joins us today to teach us about code and how she and her studio of like-minded designers use it to make excellent work. Their work is as unique as their approach. They are a pioneer agency in this exciting and emerging way of working creatively with code. We were thrilled to sit and talk with her about everything going on in her life and unpack why she has watched Sex and the City three times through, and never the final episode. Enjoy!

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN! Alex is back from Coachella, and Kevin is back from Tulum. The bougie boys are bringing the heat as they talk about what’s going on. Alex recaps Coachella, and the fellas talk about 100 dudes vs 1 gorilla, the kerning on Pope Francis’ tomb, Fyre Fest 2, Khloé Kardashian’s Khloud Protein Popcorn, the Amazon rebrand, the Heinz grill, Sperm Racing, and more!

Today, we are thrilled to welcome Justin Thomas Kay to the program! Justin is a YouTuber, creative director, and graphic designer based in Brooklyn. You may have seen him on GQ Rebranded, an episodic series about sports branding— how it works, the history behind it, and how he would approach it. Justin was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he cut his teeth in designing posters, album art, and other stuff for his band Sincebyman. He then entered the editorial world and worked with like every cool magazine, Complex, Fader, New York Times Magazine, Mass Appeal, and Victory Journal, to name a few. Justin then moved to the brand side, working for Nike, Google, YouTube,  Apple, and Red Bull. We are stoked to talk to him about his work on J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive and rebranding the Milwaukee Bucks. Justin is a legend. Enjoy!

We are thrilled to welcome Pete Freeman to the show! Pete, a willing 3rd, is a Center OG, the first employee. We are blessed with his presence this week as he’s in New York on business by way of sunny California! We talk about the rats of Erewhon, Alex is going to Coachella, Paul American, the Rizzler throwing out the first pitch at the Mets game, pool+, the subway footlong nachos, KFC toothpaste, Glen Powell’s Smash Kitchen, and more!

Diego Segura and Eliz Akgun are incredibly talented designers who reside in New York City. They caught Alex’s attention last year with their stunning work on the brand Leggs. Diego worked at COLLINS after dropping out of high school at 18; he runs a progressive studio called Family Office and has aspirations of business beyond branding. Eliz’s talent is boundless, as her artistic vision and learned hotkeys make her an exciting designer to watch for the future (big things to come). The duo joins the podcast this week to go back and forth with high energy, quick banter, lots of bits, and even more laughs. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did recording it. It’s a fun one!

Alex and Kevin are back for a regular episode! The fellas discuss their favorite television shows, Ashton Hall and his morning routine, peak protein, funny baseball hats, Doordash x Klarna, Ordinary Eggs, Pepsi buying Poppi, and more!

Lisa Smith is the queen of the rebrand! She is renowned for her transformative work with some of the world's most cherished brands. Currently the Global Executive Creative Director at JKR, her strategic vision has played a pivotal role in the global rebrand efforts for clients such as Burger King, Nordstrom Rack, Impossible Food, and Manischewitz.

Lisa, a listener of the pod, joins us to share about her life, her career, and her passion for the beach! We are excited to share this episode with you!

It’s been a while since since we’ve podded! We are so back! Back from vacations, back in the studio, back in your ears. We talk about our new favorite shows and their marketing promotions, the Oscars, Sweetgreen Fries, Duo Lingo dying and resurrecting, NikeSKIMS, Dove whole body deo, Dove x Crumbl, Graza Fizzle, Nathan’s canned water, Open AI rebrand, and more!