44 episodes
A Change of Brand Blake Howard
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- Arts
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5.0 • 98 Ratings
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A Change of Brand, produced by Matchstic, is a podcast about the world’s most loved consumer companies and their rebrand glory, drama, or disaster. In this series we will go deeper than color palettes and typography, talking with brand leaders and agency creatives to retell the story behind the change. Getting into the nitty-gritty, we learn about their leading-edge work, creative process, and approach to change management. Regardless of fame or fail, our mission is to tell these stories to educate and inspire others facing a change of brand.
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Minecraft with Harry Elonen
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 he and his team regained control by refining the master design system.
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @changeofbrand.
Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by Landon Oseitutu, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, written in part and produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Rachel Jackson. -
Nokia with Lee Coomber
Despite being known as a B2C telecom giant turned dying star, Nokia’s focus has been on developing B2B network technology for the past decade. For Nokia’s first major rebrand in 45 years, it was crucial to be seen as the digital innovator they are, not the mobile phone company they were. In this episode, we talk to Lee Coomber, Creative Director at Lippincott, to learn how his design team righted the misperceptions of an enterprise legacy brand.
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @changeofbrand.
Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard, co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by Landon Oseitutu, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, written in part and produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Rachel Jackson. -
Bolt with Arthur Foliard
Bolt, an online check-out platform, debuted its first brand refresh in 2023 and ended up sparking a larger conversation around originality. Are the logos being designed today really that new, or just an echo of something that has come before them? Arthur Foliard, Creative Director at Koto, shares with us how his team approached the risk of pursuing such a strong and simple idea, as well as the criticism after the fact.
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @changeofbrand.
Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by Landon Oseitutu, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, written in part and produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Rachel Jackson.
Link to Everything is a Remix (documentary mentioned in episode) -
Baskin-Robbins with Ryan Brazelton
Despite being associated with cherished childhood memories, Baskin-Robbins began to feel frozen in time. Domestically the brand felt dated, but in international markets the line was out the door. Baskin-Robbins needed to create a signature that was strong enough to be global while domestically rebuilding the brand at a core level. But there was confusion around the timing - didn’t they just debut a brand refresh a few months prior? We get the inside scoop on the 2022 rebrand from Ryan Brazelton, Chief Creative Officer at ChangeUp.
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @changeofbrand.
Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by Landon Oseitutu, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, written in part and produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Rachel Jackson. -
Going with Eric Ng and Andie Wexler
A name change is one of the most extreme versions of change for a brand. So when travel company Scott’s Cheap Flights decided to depart from the founder’s namesake, people questioned why such a successful brand would bother with a name change at all. The 2022 rebrand was led by DesignStudio, and we’re lucky enough to have Eric Ng, Executive Creative Director, and Andie Wexler, Senior Brand Strategist and Writer, as our tour guides for this deep dive into the project.
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @changeofbrand.
Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by Landon Oseitutu, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, written in part and produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Rachel Jackson. -
City of Florence with BT Harman
(Not so) lovingly referred to as the Florence Fiasco, the city of Florence, Alabama’s 2022 rebrand often tops the list for the worst logo launch in recent history. But it’s not just the logo that caused an uproar - the entire rebrand process became a local scandal full of lies, cover-ups and finger-pointing from city officials. Florence-native B.T. Harman, content strategist and creative guru, provides insight into the rebrand disaster and why it went so far south.
To see the change of brand for yourself, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @changeofbrand.
Produced by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstichouse), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by Landon Oseitutu, fact-checked by Jill Jeffries, written in part and produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Rachel Jackson.
Customer Reviews
Great Concept, Great Guests, Great Host, Great Design Pod
There are very few graphic design podcasts this well done—a must-listen for all brand designers.
As a designer I find it a super fun and interesting to hear designers tell the stories behind the rebrands. I learn, I laugh, I get ideas that inform my own process, and I hear about cool studios and work outside of my typical social media design echochamber. Every episode is worth a listen.
It’s easy to judge work with no context.
It’s harder when you know all the juicy details and what really informed the final outcome. And that’s just what this show delivers on.
Despite being an authority on the topic of branding, Blake approaches each episode with a genuine sense of inquisitiveness, with an attitude that there’s always more to learn. Overall this podcast is an insightful look behind the curtain of what goes into a brand overhaul, including what that process looks like pre, during, and post launch.
No doubt a ton of work goes into producing each episode but Blake and team have managed to strike a difficult balance of feeling natural and conversational, but not overly scripted or contrived.
If you’re looking for a change of podcasts, look no further than A Change of Brand.
Favorite design podcast by far!
No need to search for any other branding podcasts now that I’ve found A Change of Brand. It’s informative, backed by strategy, and sheds light on the details of branding projects I’ve always been curious about. Each episode always leaves me feeling inspired!