Talk to the Brand

It's the conversation every designer dreads to have — yet also secretly wants to have — with a client: what makes one design good and another bad? Are there any firm boundaries when it comes to evaluating designs? Or are "like" and "dislike" all we have? Jim and Jason take their own cuts at the question, and come up with some answers that may help you in your next client meeting.

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Design is always moving in two directions. On the one hand it's charging bravely ahead, forward into the future. On the other it's being yanked, relentlessly, backward into the past (particularly where big mainstream retail and cultural brands are concerned). How do we decide which way to go, especially at a time when nostalgia seems to be taking over our entire side of the universe? All that and more in this episode of Talk to the Brand.

The collapse of the traditional agency model can be traced to two primary causes, one economic (declines in fees) and the other cultural, specifically a steady loss of credibility. Now it's not enough to make a claim. Consumers are demanding that marketers "prove it" to them. How are brands responding? And what does it mean for the future of marketing?

What's it like to be one of the grandaddy brands of craft brewing — and how do you keep that brand fresh and alive in an industry that's getting more crowded by the day? This and other topics related to branding and fat bicycle tires in Episode 5 of Talk to the Brand!

"Rebrand" is a term that's heavily used — in fact it's over-used. But how often are companies or products actually rebranded? And how do you know when it might need to rebrand? In Episode 4 of Talk to the Brand, Jim and Jason discuss the in's and out's of the rebrand, and some of the telltale signs that your organization or product is ripe for one.

Call 'em taglines, call 'em slogans, these one-time staples of the branding and marketing universe are being seen less and less. Are tags dead? And if they aren't, when might a brand manager consider using one? This and more on Episode 3 of Talk to the Brand.

Jim and Jason turn their attention to logo design, especially quick and inexpensive logo design services, which, for just the right customer, can deliver just the right amount of value.

Everyone talks about "brands" and "branding" but what exactly is a brand? In this their first episode, Jim and Jason set out to define the term, and introduce a conceptual framework for thinking about and managing a brand.