JUST Branding

We sit down with Debbie Millman, one of the most influential voices in design and brand thinking, to talk about what endures when trends fade and platforms shift.

Learn more at https://justcreative.com/podcast

Debbie is the host of Design Matters, the longest running podcast on design, launched in 2005. She is the co founder and chair of the Masters in Branding program at School of Visual Arts, and spent two decades at Sterling Brands leading work for global icons like Burger King and Tropicana. She is also the author of multiple books, including Why Design Matters and Brand Thinking.

We go beyond surface level branding to unpack why personal branding can quietly trap creatives, how to define real brand DNA without freezing your identity, and how meaning is built honestly rather than manufactured theatrically.

We also explore why big redesigns so often fail, how to separate non negotiable DNA from executional style, and the fastest way to create meaning without faking it.

Along the way, Debbie shares what hundreds of interviews have taught her about creative careers, patience, and long term reputation.

This conversation is for designers, strategists, founders, and creators who want their work to compound with integrity rather than perform for attention.

And yes, we also touch on symbols, objects, and why the most powerful brands behave more like living systems than campaigns.

We’re closing out 2025 with a highlight reel from Season 6 of JUST Branding.

This year we sat down with some serious heavy hitters, including Mark Ritson, Rory Sutherland, Marty Neumeier (round two), David Aaker (round two), Laura Ries, plus guests like Simon Dixon (DixonBaxi), Michael Bungay Stanier, Jay Clouse, and more.

In this best of episode, Jacob and Matt pull the sharpest clips, biggest lessons, and most repeated themes that matter if you’re building a brand that lasts.

What you’ll hear in this episode

Branding basics that still win: meaning, relevance, relationships
Positioning that actually works (and why “positioning” isn’t the goal)
Strategic enemies and the power of contrast
Leadership and alignment (yes, including the uncomfortable honesty)
Culture as brand, not a side project
Customer truth and the discipline of saying “not everyone”
Problem framing and why the first answer is rarely the best
Brand fame vs hype and playing the long game
Execution realities, including SEO getting tougher in an AI driven world
Community vs audience, and what participation really costs

Featured clips in this highlight episode

Branding earns its keep through meaning, relevance, relationships (Ep. 6.11, Simon Dixon)
Positioning is not the end, it’s the start (Ep. 6.05, Mark Ritson)
One page brand strategy thinking (Ep. 6.05, Mark Ritson)
Strategic enemy creates value through contrast (Ep. 6.17, Laura Ries)
Leadership endorsement is non negotiable (Ep. 6.01, Steve Noss)
Brand alignment requires honesty (Ep. 6.03, Brandon Coleman Jr.)
Culture is the brand, internally first (Ep. 6.15, David Aaker)
Brands need a real relationship with culture (Ep. 6.08, Cyril Louis)
Go wide on problem solving, don’t accept the first frame (Ep. 6.09, Rory Sutherland)
Stay curious longer when coaching (Ep. 6.10, Michael Bungay Stanier)
Not everyone is a customer (Ep. 6.11, Simon Dixon)
Talk to your customers, find your core group (Ep. 6.02, Brandon Kim)
Play drives innovation (Ep. 6.06, Melissa Dinwiddie)
Hype vs fame, and why the long game wins (Ep. 6.19, Dan Cushing and Diego Borgo)
Complexity happens for a reason, learn the client’s world (Ep. 6.18, James Greenfield)
Influence matters (Ep. 6.02, Lida Citroën)
Be careful entering politics and bandwagons (Ep. 6.04, Jeroen Reuven)
SEO is harder with AI, so brand matters more (Ep. 6.14, Mordy Oberstein)
ABM works when sales and marketing actually align (Ep. 6.07, Jennifer Mancusi)
Audience is not community (Ep. 6.12, Jay Clouse)

Season 7 kicks off late January 2026. Until then, hit follow, share this episode with a brand builder mate, and if you’ve got 30 seconds, a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts helps the show reach more people.

From Kickstarter to thriving brand, Brevitē is a case study in how a challenger wins without a war chest.

Learn more at https://justcreative.com/podcast

In this episode of JUST Branding, we sit down with Brandon Kim, co-founder of Brevitē, to unpack how a scrappy Kickstarter project became a beloved camera bag brand for photographers, creators, and everyday explorers.

We get into the real strategy behind their early momentum, including how they positioned in a crowded category, what they got right about their audience, and how they balanced instinct, research, and creative direction to build a brand people want to be part of.

Brandon also shares what bootstrapping taught them about pace, priorities, and protecting the “soul” of the brand while scaling operations.

If you’re building a DTC brand, growing a challenger business, or trying to create genuine community instead of empty reach, this one’s packed with practical lessons you can steal.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How Brevitē found whitespace in a saturated market
What made their Kickstarter campaign resonate early
How they approached positioning, identity, and brand voice
The tradeoffs of bootstrapping versus outside investment
How they built community and creator advocacy without chasing vanity metrics
What’s next as Brevitē evolves from product to lifestyle

In this episode, Jacob and Matt sit down with Thumbcorp’s co-founders Dan Cushing and Diego Borgo to unpack what brand fame really looks like in the worlds of blockchain, Web3 and frontier technology.

Dan brings decades of creative and planning experience from Levi’s to Stella Artois to Vogue. Diego has helped global giants like adidas, Prada and Salesforce translate complex tech into stories the mainstream actually cares about. Together, they’re building Thumbcorp: an agency that sits at the intersection of visionary technology and the real world.

How do you reimagine one of the world’s most powerful brands?

Over 18 months, across 15 global markets, and with 50+ sub-brands, Koto partnered with Amazon to deliver one of the largest brand transformations in recent history. In this episode, James Greenfield, CEO and Founder of Koto, shares the inside story — from simplifying a sprawling brand architecture to modernising the iconic “smile.”

Matt and Jacob dive into how to design at scale, build internal alignment, and create systems that drive consistency without killing creativity. A must-listen for anyone managing complex global brands.