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JUST Branding

JUST Branding

JUST Branding - by Jacob Cass & Matt Davies 137 episodes Latest May 25, 2026

The JUST Branding Podcast, hosted by Jacob Cass & Matt Davies, is dedicated to helping designers and entrepreneurs grow brands. Each episode delves into the brand building process with professional insights, actionable tips, and resources. The show focuses on bridging the gap between strategy and design, covering topics like brand strategy, positioning, personality, messaging, storytelling, naming, logo design, and brand experience. Guests include branding professionals from around the world.

Episodes

S07.EP08 - Why Most Agencies Sound The Same + How to Really Differentiate with Emily Penny May 25, 2026 00:41:34 In this episode, we sit down with brand strategist and verbal identity specialist Emily Penny to unpack the growing challenge of differentiation in an increasingly saturated market. Learn more at https://justcreative.com/podcast Emily is the creator of the Fully Saturated report and founder of a micro studio focused on positioning and voice. Together, we explore why so many agencies struggl
S07.EP07 - Founder Branding with Amelia Sordell May 9, 2026 00:54:37 Jacob Cass and Matt Davies speak with Amelia Sordell, founder and CEO of Klowt and one of the leading voices in founder-led marketing. Learn more at justcreative.com/podcast As audiences become more sceptical of faceless companies, founders and leaders are becoming one of the most powerful trust signals a brand can have. The company brand still matters, but increasingly, people want to hear
S07.EP06 - UX & UI — The Brand Experience Gap w/ Alexander Lofthouse Apr 21, 2026 00:44:30 In this episode, Jacob and Matt sit down with Alexander Lofthouse — Senior Designer at Nzime and a specialist in UX and digital experience. Lex and Jacob go back nearly a decade, and after watching her deliver a standout talk at NDC London, it was time to get her on the show. They get into where brand strategy ends and UX begins (and whether that line even makes sense), what happens when bra
S07.EP05 - Why Most Designers Won’t Last (and What AI Can’t Replace) with James Martin Mar 31, 2026 01:07:42 Why do some designers build lasting careers while others fade out? In this episode of JUST Branding, we sit down with James Martin, founder of Made by James, to unpack what really sustains creative success over time and what quietly destroys it. Learn more at https://justcreative.com/podcast While many designers are chasing visibility, speed, and short-term attention, James makes the case
S07.EP04 - Designers Don’t Build Brands with Kevin Finn Mar 13, 2026 00:57:45 In this episode of JUST Branding, Jacob Cass and Matt Davies sit down with Kevin Finn, founder of TheSumOf and author of Brand Principles, to unpack a provocative idea that challenges a core assumption in the branding industry. Kevin argues that designers and agencies don’t build brands. Businesses do. Brands are not logos, identities, or positioning statements. They are the result of consi
S07.EP03 - B2B Branding: The Unsexy Truth with Martin Zarian Feb 25, 2026 00:56:10 B2B rebrands do not fail because of the logo. They fail because the organisation was never aligned, the board never believed in it, and the rollout was treated like a campaign instead of infrastructure. In this episode with Martin Zarian of Factory39, we unpack the uncomfortable realities of branding inside complex organisations. If you work with complex B2B organisations or aspire to oper
S07.EP02 - PR Isn’t Promotion. It’s How Brand Strategy Becomes Real with Nikkia Adolphe Feb 5, 2026 00:40:22 We’re joined by Nikkia Adolphe, Chief Innovation Officer at BrandSavor, to unpack the role PR plays in turning brand strategy into something people actually see, trust, and believe. With over 15 years leading communications and PR strategy for global brands like Amazon, Meta, and Ryder, Nikkia has worked at the sharp end of branding. Where positioning meets public perception. Where reputatio
S07.EP01 - Beyond Personal Branding: Debbie Millman on Character, Symbols, and Brand DNA Jan 15, 2026 00:54:20 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 A
S06.EP21 - Best of 2025 (Season 6) Dec 29, 2025 00:59:55 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, big
S06.EP20 - From Kickstarter to Cult Brand w/ Brandon Kim, Brevitē Dec 19, 2025 00:56:36 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
S06.EP19 - Make Your Brand Famous with Dan Cushing and Diego Borgo Nov 20, 2025 00:54:17 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 storie
S06.EP18 - Transforming Amazon: Behind the Brand Overhaul with Koto (James Greenfield) Nov 4, 2025 00:35:37 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.

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