Michael Johnson is the founder and creative director of Johnson Banks, an incredible design consultancy based in London, responsible for the rebranding of companies such as Virgin Atlantic, Think London, Christian Aid and many more.

His company is known for how they define, then design, brands that make a difference and that’s what we discuss in this episode, as well as Michael's incredible book “Branding in 5.5 Steps” which is focused on the branding process, from the lens of both strategy and design.

Plus, we’ll explore his latest book release, “Now Try Something Weirder”, which shows how to have great ideas & survive in the creative business. We’re incredibly stoked & privileged to have Michael on the show, as his award-winning work really does change lives.

Look into Valerie Jacobs’s crystal ball and see what lies ahead for the future of branding. You’ll go back to the future, by following Valerie’s journey to becoming a master trend forecaster and how she uses these techniques to innovate & grow brands for Fortune 500 brands.

You will learn how to gather consumer & market insights, and more importantly how to use these insights for “future-fluency”, a skill that will provide you with “future-forward design intelligence” that you can use to stay relevant in today’s accelerated world. Buckle up, it’s time to fly, chicken.

Dava Guthmiller, who spearheaded Uber’s branding, is founder and CCO at Noise 13, a branding & design agency in San Francisco. In this episode, you will discover what it takes to be a “real brand” - one that is bold, honest and centred around emotional connections.

You will learn how Dava used this philosophy to rapidly scale her agency, including a deep dive into her process of working with Uber and various other lifestyle brands. Dava shares her past failures, with key insights on why execution is just as important as strategy, plus strategies on how to measure branding. Tune in with Dava Guthmiller, Jacob Cass & Matt Davies and discover how to grow real brands with strategy & design.

Join Philip VanDusen as we discuss personal growth, mentorship and how to use the power of strategy, design and marketing to build bullet-proof brands & businesses.

PHILIP VANDUSEN

Philip VanDusen is the founder of Verhaal Brand Design, a YouTube Star and has over 20 years experience in branding & design including roles like ECD at Landor, Head of Design for Global Snacks at PepsiCo, P&G Old Navy.

Grow your personal brand with confidence. Tune in with Michael Janda & Tom Ross as we explore what it takes to maximise your personal brand’s success! These “Biz Buddies” run multi 7-figure businesses and in this episode, you’ll hear the lessons they’ve picked up along the way.

MICHAEL JANDA

Michael Janda is an agency veteran, business coach, and best-selling author of Burn Your Portfolio. He helps creative freelancers and agencies run their businesses with confidence and make more money.

TOM ROSS

Tom Ross is the CEO of DesignCuts and a marketing coach. He co-hosts the Biz Buds podcast with Michael Janda and is probably the most Honest Entrepreneur on the internet. This episode is not to be missed!

What does working at Nike for 10 years teach you about brand? Find out in this episode with Matt Watson, founder of Watson Creative & Brand Labs, as he reveals all, including his affinity for the Nike logo. Watson will make you think about your brand and market differently after you hear how his firm handles the branding process. We discuss brand audits, consumer research including both creative & analytical sides, the power of brand DNA, plus some key insights on how to take a position and own it. Don’t miss this episode with Matt Watson, Jacob Cass & Matt Davies! Show notes: https://justcreative.com/podcast

Get to know the super sleek brand educator that is Tobias Dahlberg all the way from Helsinki, Finland. In this episode, we discuss the value of brand strategy for businesses and how it can be applied to multiple business units and not just marketing, plus exactly how to approach this and embed it in businesses. Tobias discusses brand theories such as “becoming the only choice”, “radical differentiation” and how he gets people on board when making “brand choices”. He also explains his background and the super work he is doing at The Future Academy. This episode is not to be missed! Show notes at justcreative.com/podcast

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Tobias Dahlberg is an Entrepreneur & Strategist. He is the Founder of Wonder, a strategic brand and design consultancy in Helsinki, Finland. He is also the Founder of The Future Academy - a learning platform for entrepreneurs and companies who want to build game-changing brands and businesses. He has consulted, advised and created hundreds of strategies and innovative concepts for brands such as: Nike, The Coca-Cola Company, Fiskars, Fazer, Iittala, Hartwall, Nissan, Paulig, Telia, Marimekko, Halti, Neste Oil, Altia, Mandatum Life, and many more, from start-ups to multi-national corporations.

In this episode, we sit down with the wonderful Kaye Putnam, a psychology-driven brand strategist from South Carolina. We geek out about all things brand thinking. We get into the meaning of ‘psychology-driven branding’, about knowing your brand and living your brand. Kaye shares her ‘4C Brand Strategy Framework’ which helps to bake psychological principles into brands.

We also discover Kayes inspirational story, her obsession with human decision making and how this helps her in her work + how she keeps a work life balance as a Mum and entrepreneur.

ABOUT OUR GUEST: Kaye Putnam is a psychology-driven brand strategist for entrepreneurs. Through work with hundreds of clients from international corporations to solo-entrepreneurs, she developed her signature Clarity Code™ method. She believes that online business should be more human and that all entrepreneurs have genius they can use to impact the world. She works with students in her brand incubation program and with clients 1-on-1. When she’s not transforming brands, she’s exploring the world with her husband and two little ones.

In this bonus episode, we have Douglas Davis join us, Jacob Cass & Matt Davies, to discuss the current state of design education and what it takes to remain relevant as we evolve as creatives in these disruptive and turbulent times. We explore his book, Creative Strategy & The Business of Design as well as the future of design. There has never been a more timely episode.

Douglas Davis is a strategist, author and professor at the New York City College of Technology, a part of the The City University of New York. He holds the chair for the BFA in Communication Design and has a through background in marketing, creative strategy and art direction.

Show notes available at https://justcreative.com/podcast

Chris Do is an Emmy award-winning designer, director, CEO and Chief Strategist of Blind and the founder of The Futur—an online education platform with the mission of teaching 1 billion people how to make a living doing what they love. In this episode, Chris reveals his biggest mistakes, failures & regrets, plus how you too can overcome these adversities. We then dive into how to get paid more as a creative, how to move into brand strategy & sell it, Chris’s strategic branding process, the powers & pitfalls of the labels we put on ourselves and the quest for success. This is not to be missed!