Months in Motion

Jimmy
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  • Design
  • Updated Weekly

Months in Motion is a long-form podcast about brand identity, motion design, and how the world's best studios actually work. Guests include Brian Collins (COLLINS), Studio DUMBAR, Koto, BBH, JKR, Hyperfocus, Motto, Taxi Studio, How&How and Studio DRAMA. Episodes go behind real work for Amazon, OpenAI, Instagram, Canva, Disney, Grubhub, Lyft, Dropbox, Twitch and Ramp. Conversations cover motion as a brand layer, AI, design careers, and the business of running a studio: pricing, pitching, hiring, surviving. New episodes monthly. Hosted by OK Social.

  1. May 28

    10 Years Building Brands That Define Categories | Laurence Stoffel | Months in Motion

    Laurence Stoffel spent 10 years leading the creative team at On, helping turn the Swiss running brand from a challenger into a category-defining name. In this conversation she shares what that decade actually taught her about brand, culture, and craft. We get into why she thinks brand guidelines are overrated, why brand culture can't be manufactured (the Liverpool story is a great one), and how the relationship between brands and agencies is changing. A genuinely thoughtful conversation for anyone working in brand, design, or creative leadership. Topics covered: 00:00 Why brand guidelines are overrated 00:25 Intro 02:00 Learning to think in systems 14:00 Operating without guidelines and what that unlocks 17:00 Why a great in-house team changes everything 23:00 The friction between in-house teams and agencies 26:00 The questions the best agencies actually ask 29:00 Why big brands are turning to smaller boutique studios 32:00 Brand culture can't be engineered: the Liverpool story 43:00 Making the case for creative work as a win-win About Laurence Stoffel Laurence Stoffel led the creative team at On for a decade, helping grow it into the largest in-house creative studio in Switzerland and shaping the brand's identity across product, motion, retail and events. She studied at ECAL in Lausanne and works across product design, brand identity and art direction. She now works as an independent brand consultant. Subscribe for monthly conversations with creative directors, motion designers, brand strategists and studio leaders at the forefront of the industry. Follow OK Social: https://www.instagram.com/oksocial_/ Months in Motion is produced by OK Social, a London-based motion design studio. #BrandDesign #BrandStrategy #DesignPodcast

    49 min

  2. May 14

    From Manchester to Pearlfisher NYC | Sheps | Months in Motion

    Kristian Shepherd (Sheps) was kicked out of school in Manchester, ended up at Turner Duckworth, his "Real Madrid of design," and is now a Senior Designer at Pearlfisher in New York. Alongside the day job, he's hosted 65+ episodes of the What Does Your Mum Think podcast, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu daily, and just been announced as a D&AD Shift mentor. This is a different kind of conversation. We get into the journey, the moments of feeling completely lost, what mental health actually looks like inside the creative industry, and why he genuinely believes pressure is a privilege. 00:00 Intro: 17 years, three cities, one designer 03:18 Turner Duckworth: the dream agency and what really happens when you get there 08:37 Feeling lost after TD and the leap into freelance 12:32 Where the drive comes from: dad on the removals, kicked out of school 17:50 Pearlfisher: leaving a legacy and building community in New York 22:11 Three years of What Does Your Mum Think and how it has changed 29:00 Running a podcast alongside a full-time role: structured chaos 38:22 Delaying joy for success and learning to define it for yourself 45:48 Becoming a D&AD Shift mentor and giving back 53:26 Why vulnerability is the most underrated leadership skill Kristian Shepherd, known in the industry as Sheps, is a Mancunian designer with 17 years of experience across Turner Duckworth, B&B Studio and a freelance chapter in London, before moving to New York in 2023 to join Pearlfisher as a Senior Designer. He's the founder and host of the What Does Your Mum Think? podcast, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue belt, and a recently announced D&AD Shift mentor. Subscribe for monthly conversations with creative directors, motion designers, brand strategists and studio leaders at the forefront of the industry. Follow OK Social: https://www.instagram.com/oksocial_/ Follow WDYMT?: https://www.instagram.com/wdymt_official/ Subscribe to WDYMT?: www.youtube.com/@WDYMT_OFFICIAL Months in Motion is produced by OK Social, a London-based motion design studio. #BrandDesign #DesignPodcast #CreativeIndustry

    1h 1m

  3. Apr 30

    Inside the BBH Rebrand | Oded Shein, Design Director

    When BBH did their first rebrand in 44 years, motion was at the centre of it. The man behind that motion is Oded Shein, newly appointed Design Director at BBH London and one of the most interesting voices in the industry right now. In this episode we get into the full picture: a non-linear career through Byte, Jellyfish, mental health tech, and the music industry, before landing at BBH. We talk Cavalry, kinetic typography, the relationship between sound and motion, and why he wants motion to be "alongside" rather than first or last. A genuinely useful conversation for anyone working in motion, branding, or trying to figure out their next move in this industry. Topics covered: 00:00 Intro and the non-linear career path 04:01 What working in the music industry teaches you about motion 08:02 Cavalry: how he started and how he uses it now 13:05 Motion design vs animation: how to actually explain it 16:35 How motion designers should explain their craft to agencies 20:51 Inside the BBH rebrand: motion principles and the 50fps rule 27:16 Building a network when you're an introvert 30:43 Stepping up to Design Director and why motion belongs at the table 34:07 AI in motion: the honest take 36:51 One piece of advice for motion designers looking to level up About Oded Shein Oded Shein is the newly appointed Design Director at BBH London, where he led the motion behind their first rebrand in 44 years. Before BBH he worked across agencies including Byte and Jellyfish, plus stints in the music industry and mental health tech. He's a power user of Cavalry, deeply passionate about kinetic typography, and teaches motion theory to younger designers. Subscribe for monthly conversations with creative directors, motion designers, brand strategists and studio leaders at the forefront of the industry. Follow BBH: https://www.instagram.com/bbhblacksheep/ Follow Oded: https://www.instagram.com/oded.design/ Follow OK Social: https://www.instagram.com/oksocial_ Months in Motion is produced by OK Social, a London-based motion design studio. #MotionDesign #BBH #DesignPodcast

    40 min

  4. Apr 14

    Kicked Out at 17 to Canva's Design Board | James Martin

    Kicked out of school and home at 17, he spent two years making bad decisions before finding his way into design. Now he advises Affinity, sits on Canva's Design Advisory Board, and works with brands like Disney, Nike and Liquid Death. This is how that happened. In this episode we get into the full story - the difficult upbringing, what creativity actually saved him from, his very loud opinions on personal branding, what mastery really means in a world full of noise, and why he thinks the threat to creativity isn't AI at all - it's the disappearing space that creativity needs to thrive. 00:00 Intro - from kicked out at 17 to the Canva design board 03:08 The real story: abuse, drugs, rock bottom and finding design 14:25 The contrarian streak - where it actually comes from 23:48 Personal branding: what annoys James most about it 31:29 Visibility vs mastery - why talented people aren't always the busiest 45:41 Being in the room: why face-to-face still beats everything 58:24 How motion design conversations with clients have changed 1:06:34 Is creativity dead? Why the environment is the real problem James Martin, known online as MadeByJames, is a brand designer, author, educator and advisor with nearly a million Instagram followers. He sits on the Design Advisory Board at Canva, advises Affinity, and is a partner at Lincoln Design Co, where he works with brands like Disney, Nike and Liquid Death. He writes a weekly Substack and has spent over two decades building brands and challenging how the industry thinks about craft, reputation and success. Subscribe for monthly conversations with creative directors, motion designers, brand strategists and studio leaders at the forefront of the industry. Follow James: https://www.instagram.com/made.by.james Follow OK Social: https://www.instagram.com/oksocial_ Months in Motion is produced by OK Social, a London-based motion design studio.

    1h 21m

  5. Mar 17

    Ramp, Dropbox, Lyft, Twitch: The Design Layer You Never Notice | Jon Howell

    What makes a product feel magical? It's rarely one big thing. It's the haptic buzz when your payment goes through. The animated rocket ship in a toast notification. The onboarding moment you skip but somehow still remember. That's brand experience design, and most people have never heard of it. Jon Howell is Principal Brand Experience Designer at Ramp, and before that, he shaped product and brand at Dropbox, Lyft, Twitch, Robin Hood, and more. In this episode, we get into the discipline that sits between brand and product and why the best companies in the world are finally taking it seriously. We cover the full toolkit: Rive, Lottie, ProtoPie, Jitter, haptic feedback, sonic design, AI motion identity, wearables and more. Plus Jon gives genuinely useful career advice for designers trying to break into this space. 00:00 Intro and what is brand experience design02:05 New tools reshaping the field: Rive, Lottie, ProtoPie05:15 Haptics, sound and the Robin Hood loot box example07:09 How brands build emotional connection through design13:19 Testing brand moments and why metrics don't always apply18:27 Designing trust into AI products24:45 Balancing delight with function30:15 How to sell brand experience work internally34:06 Career advice: breaking into brand experience design43:53 Wearables, AR glasses and the future of brand interaction

    51 min

  6. Feb 16

    OpenAI & Instagram: Secrets of Global Brand Design with Studio DUMBAR

    Motion should no longer be an afterthought, in the digital age, movement bleeds into a brands identity. In this month’s episode of Months in Motion, Jack and Jimmy sat down with Liza Enebeis and Wouter Dirks from the legendary Studio DUMBAR/DEPT to discuss how they approach brand design and integrate sound and motion. Working with the likes of OpenAI, Instagram and Google. Whether you're building brand systems for startups or global tech giants, Liza and Wouter share how to balance experimental design with functional branding that survives in the real world. We also touch on the "addictive" world of vibe coding and why your next big tool might just be Excel or Keynote. https://studiodumbar.com/ 00:00 – Meet Liza Enebeis & Wouter Dirks of Studio DUMBAR /DEPT 04:02 – Flipping the process: Why motion and sound come first 07:22 – Generalists vs. Specialists: How the team collaborates 11:42 – Function over fluff: When to use motion vs. stillness 15:05 – Systematic Identity: Approaching sound like a brand 17:31 – Vibe Coding: The new era of experimental design tools 22:03 – Inside the OpenAI refresh: Making AI feel human 32:07 – The "Date" Test: Choosing the right clients & projects 36:56 – The Kitchen Review: How to push creative boundaries 48:54 – Future Outlook: From AI to... Cassette Tapes?

    52 min

  7. 12/22/2025

    How Studio DRAMA are Rewriting the Rules of Type Design | Months in Motion

    What happens when type becomes the core of a brand’s voice - and not just its style?In this episode of Months in Motion, Jimmy Gordon and Jack Last sit down with Chris Nott and Will Richardson, co-founders of Studio DRAMA - a new wave type foundry building motion-ready, brand-first custom fonts.From collaborations with agencies like JKR, to working with global brands like Heinz and Mozilla, the DRAMA team shares how custom type can create recognisability, ownability, and motion-native systems for modern brands.If you work in branding, typography, or motion, this one’s for you.🎥 Topics covered:• The power of custom type in branding & motion• Working with agencies vs. internal creative teams• Heinz & Mozilla case studies• Why “don’t borrow a voice — build one” matters• Using motion and variable fonts with intention• What makes Studio DRAMA’s process so collaborative• Type design for global markets & multilingual systems🔗 Studio DRAMA: https://studio-drama.com/🎧 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/H4ZbZNe192400:00 – Intro: Studio DRAMA’s philosophy & branding background 03:05 – Why most brands don’t know they need custom type 04:28 – Educating agencies through type talks 06:06 – Working directly with clients vs. through agencies 09:25 – How Studio DRAMA makes type design collaborative 12:19 – Making typography accessible & strategic 15:53 – “Don’t borrow a voice. Build one.” 17:32 – Heinz case study: using type without a logo 21:26 – Designing fonts for motion, display, and pack 24:42 – Variable fonts & expressive brand systems 27:35 – Should brands break typographic rules in the age of AI?

    41 min

  8. 11/04/2025

    Sunny Bonnell on Brand Vision, AI, and 20 Years of Building Motto

    Months in Motion returns with Sunny Bonnell - co-founder of Motto, best-selling author, and a force behind transformative branding for companies like Google, Disney, and Mastercard. In this episode, Sunny shares how to scale visionary leadership, embed values into remote-first teams, and embrace AI as a creative catalyst - all while celebrating Motto’s 20-year milestone. From culture-building to future-facing motion design, this is a must-watch for anyone shaping the brands of tomorrow. 📚 Explore Motto’s work: https://wearemotto.com 📖 Check out Sunny’s book Rare Breed: https://www.rarebreedbook.com 🔗 Motto 20-Year Microsite: https://xx.wearemotto.com/0:00 – Intro & Sunny’s unconventional origin story 1:38 – The founding of Motto with just $250 3:35 – Scaling brands during inflection points 6:04 – Building culture in a remote-first agency 9:50 – Rituals & values that actually work 12:18 – How Motto uses AI as a strategic creative tool 15:45 – Perception Map: Fusing data + AI + insight 18:30 – The ethics & limits of AI in branding 23:30 – The future of 3D and spatial design in branding 29:45 – Sunny’s biggest learning after 20 years in business

    41 min
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About

Months in Motion is a long-form podcast about brand identity, motion design, and how the world's best studios actually work. Guests include Brian Collins (COLLINS), Studio DUMBAR, Koto, BBH, JKR, Hyperfocus, Motto, Taxi Studio, How&How and Studio DRAMA. Episodes go behind real work for Amazon, OpenAI, Instagram, Canva, Disney, Grubhub, Lyft, Dropbox, Twitch and Ramp. Conversations cover motion as a brand layer, AI, design careers, and the business of running a studio: pricing, pitching, hiring, surviving. New episodes monthly. Hosted by OK Social.

Information

  • Creator
    Jimmy
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jimmy
  • Show Website
    Months in Motion