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.
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; brick by brick. 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.
8/29/2023 • 36 minutes, 39 seconds
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.
8/22/2023 • 30 minutes, 17 seconds
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)
8/15/2023 • 34 minutes, 52 seconds
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.
8/8/2023 • 40 minutes, 2 seconds
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.
8/1/2023 • 43 minutes, 23 seconds
City of Florence with BT Harman
Florence(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.
7/25/2023 • 34 minutes, 51 seconds
Visa with Rob Duncan
Around 2020, Visa wanted to reposition their brand for the digital economy and become more purpose driven. However, this story is more about honesty and how direct an agency can be with a client. Rob Duncan, Partner and Creative Director at Mucho, shares that there is a right balance between being a straight shooter and choosing your battles for the sake of creating the best work possible.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.
7/18/2023 • 31 minutes, 58 seconds
Kraft Mac & Cheese with Terry Sieting
Despite the success of selling over one million boxes of macaroni and cheese, Kraft wanted to position their signature pasta dish as a timeless comfort food for all people while creating a more contemporary look. In this episode, we catch up with Terry Sieting, Senior Designer at JKR to get the inside scoop on the Kraft Mac and Cheese 2022 packaging and brand identity refresh. 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.
7/11/2023 • 35 minutes, 16 seconds
Zapier with Michael Jeter
Brands don’t exist in a vacuum. Sometimes world events change the way the world will look at your brand. And a change is needed. As bay-area tech startup Zapier prepared to launch its brand refresh, a new symbol making headlines would create a moral dilemma. Michael Jeter, former Creative Director at Zapier, shares with us how they navigated the decision to scrap months of work and move forward with a new vision.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.
7/4/2023 • 38 minutes, 26 seconds
Instacart with Daniel Renda & Kevin Byrd
We’re kicking off Season 4 with a closer look at Instacart, which has been the leader in grocery delivery services since its early start-up days. But after about 10 years in the market, their brand was feeling a bit stale. Or wilted. In 2022, they started to dangle a new logo and look and feel for customers to get excited about. But the path to get there wasn’t easy. In this episode, we go behind the scenes with Kevin Byrd, Executive Creative Director for Instacart and Daniel Renda, Senior Creative Director at Wolff Olins to find out whether they bit off more than they could chew. 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.
