Articles
- Calendly dropped the calendar from its logo because 13 years of name recognition let it
Rebrands like Calendly's shift focus from category cues to emotional resonance, highlighting the importance of name recognition and authentic connections in brand strategy.
- Instagram: “script reflects individuality.” The internet read the new logo as “Instagzam.
Instagram's logo update underscores the importance of a clear rationale and holistic identity system, emphasizing that design changes must reflect deeper values to withstand public scrutiny.
- DNCO on Vermont: 79% like it, 15% will visit, so they stopped selling escape
DNCO's shift from selling escape to promoting active experiences in Vermont highlights the importance of addressing behavior gaps for effective brand strategy, impacting how product and design leaders approach customer engagement.
- When the Product Is a Feeling, Sell the Feeling
Designing experiences that convey the emotional essence of a product can enhance customer engagement and understanding, transforming abstract concepts into tangible, relatable experiences that resonate with audiences.
- AI Companies Are Buying Personality, Not Just Models
Recent acquisitions highlight the growing importance of personality in AI products, suggesting that a product's voice and character can differentiate it in a competitive market where technical capabilities are increasingly similar.
- Your best ideas are dying in the self-edit
Creating an environment where bold ideas thrive requires rethinking meeting structures, normalizing failure, and modeling rest, to unlock the full creative potential of your team.
- AI Can Draw Your Screen. It Can't Draw This.
AI's ability to quickly generate polished interfaces shifts the focus for design teams from aesthetics to crafting memorable, interactive experiences that engage users emotionally and intellectually, driving deeper customer connections.
- The materials are changing, and so is who does the work
Innovative materials and experiential design approaches are reshaping product development by embedding intelligence in physical forms and encouraging user interaction, reducing reliance on traditional sensors and scripted experiences.
- The napkin logo raised $125m. Here's why the mess is the point.
Embracing imperfection and unique brand elements can differentiate products in saturated markets, as demonstrated by Granola's success with a handwritten logo, highlighting the value of authenticity over conformity.
- When the Wheat Field Doesn't Sell Anymore
The merger of two major British bread brands highlights the strategic power of visual identity in revitalizing a declining market, emphasizing the need for design to articulate clear business decisions.
- Your Best Work Is the Part a Machine Can't Copy
Emphasizing unique, human elements in design and branding can differentiate products in a market saturated with automated and polished outputs, ultimately attracting more attention and fostering stronger customer connections.
- The panel keeps saying "human," and your team should borrow the line
Emphasizing human judgment and storytelling over speed in AI-driven design processes can enhance product value and customer trust, ensuring the work resonates and is effectively communicated to stakeholders.
- The showroom that asks you to sit down and read
Brands are transforming retail spaces into immersive environments that prioritize customer engagement and brand storytelling over immediate sales, encouraging product leaders to rethink how physical and digital spaces can build trust and deeper connections.
- Your Most Credible Creator Might Already Be On Your Payroll
Starbucks is paying baristas to make TikToks. Here's what the creator economy teaches product leaders about building real audience trust.
- Great Products Attract the Wrong People. Here's How to Protect Yours.
Product vision, mission-locked governance, and Kent Beck's take on what stays human. What actually changed and what to bring to your next review.
- The Building Is the Story Now
Cultural and hospitality builds are using spatial storytelling to shape experience. Here's what design leaders should take from the new wave.
- The moat is the part you can't automate
AI made answers cheap, so trust and human craft became the thing worth paying for. What Stack Overflow, Cannes, and a field-grown photograph agree on.
