Author Archives: Nick Westergaard

Using AI to simplify logo design? How would that even work? Richard Lau is a serial entrepreneur who’s launched several helpful businesses that he’s eventually exited. His latest venture, Logo.com, answers this very question. We discussed logo design, AI, and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. Read More →

As family and friends gathered in new ways to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, we were dealt another tragic loss with the death of retired Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. The pain is especially acute because of what he stood for in … Read More →

“Empathy is something that every human has but our empathy muscle has atrophied.” This week on the On Brand podcast, we talked about a timely, relevant topic—empathy. Now more than ever, people want empathy from brands. Yet, collectively, we’ve never been less empathetic. How do we fix this and how can we use these tools to better connect with our customers? Rob Volpe of insight strategy firm Ignite 360 explains on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. Read More →

My guest this week is … me! Specifically, I’m sharing a recent interview I did with Joseph Jaffe for his innovative web series CoronaTV. I’m calling this our Thanksgiving Special because to me this was a very special conversation. We talked about some of my favorite things like branding and Star Trek and the communication secrets of the U.S. presidents. It was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it and please be sure to check out Joseph Jaffe’s CoronaTV on your favorite social networks. Happy Thanksgiving! Read More →

“People take a lot of value in brands. When you are at home or are limited (because of the pandemic) you tend to go with the first one you think of. But there are brands that have to think differently, especially brands in retail.” Jeff Lotman has an iconic career both as a brand strategist at his firm Global Icons and as a retailer as the owner of Fred Segal. He’s also the author of the book Invisible Marketing. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. Read More →

“I don’t think enough thought goes into how to translate brand style guides into visual videos.” As the founder and CEO of Tectonic Video with a background in brand strategy, Doug Scott helps nonprofit brands worldwide unlock the power of video storytelling. We discussed video, social media, brand style guides, and more this week on the On Brand podcast.  Read More →

“The marketplace has changed so much—there are so many brands on the retail shelf—the packaging is all there is. We turn the traditional brand development world upside down.” As a partner and leader of the research team at brand strategy firm SmashBrand, Michael Keplinger has a bold new approach for inventing and reinventing CPG brands. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. Read More →

“We have to put aside our personal preference and put in the time to figure out what really works for what the client needs.” This is a challenge for marketers on a variety of topics but is especially critical to the vital task of naming. Luckily, Brad Flowers wrote the book on naming—aptly titled The Naming Book—and he’s joined us this week on the On Brand podcast to discuss just that. Read More →

“All companies and all brands should be working toward being the best version of themselves that they can be across all lenses of their impact on the world.” Eric Ressler knows a thing or two about brands making an impact. That’s the focus of his work as Founder and Creative Director at Cosmic, an agency helping brands build their awareness by having a strong social impact in the world. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. Read More →

“You always have to look inside to really understand. Because all design at the end of the day falls flat if it doesn’t connect with customers—if it doesn’t understand the market that you’re in, if it doesn’t understand the problem that your specific customers are trying to solve.” Daniel Scrivner has led a unique and design-centric career that’s taken him from Apple to Square to the C-suite at Flow. We discussed how this focus has explored his work as a brand builder this week on the On Brand podcast. Read More →