In this episode of How Brands Are Built, I talk with Alexander Foss about research—why it matters, what makes it valuable, and a few pitfalls to avoid.

Alex and I first worked together at Interbrand, where he was on the strategy team before moving more deeply into research and insights. In our conversation, he explains what pulled him in that direction: the feeling of backing up recommendations with something stronger than a "finger in the air."

We talk about the shift from agency work to client-side research, and how different it is when you're responsible not just for delivering against a brief, but for defining the business problem in the first place.

A big theme throughout the episode is purpose. Alex makes the point repeatedly: research should start with a clear question. If you don't know why you're conducting a survey, for example—what decisions it's meant to inform—you probably shouldn't be doing it.

We also dig into a naming research study I conducted last year—research on research—and the tensions it revealed between how namers and researchers think about the topic. Why are experienced namers often skeptical of quantitative testing? Which methodologies do namers and researchers recommend? And how much influence should research have over a naming decision versus other important factors?

Alex argues that research should inform decisions, but not make them. He uses the analogy of buying a house: you can quantify square footage and energy efficiency, but at some point you also have to decide whether it feels right. Naming is similar. Quantified consumer reactions matter, but they're just one input.

Finally, we discuss updating the research section of Designing Brand Identity, sixth edition, and what young strategists can do to build real expertise in a world where AI can handle more and more of the executional work.

If you care about branding, naming, or research—and especially if you've ever struggled with how much weight to give the numbers—this conversation will give you a clearer framework for thinking about it.

On today's episode of How Brands Are Built, host Rob Meyerson of Heirloom speaks with Robin Goffman—brand thinker, design strategist, and founder of Studio RBG—about her career path, her approach to creative work, and her experience designing multiple editions of Designing Brand Identity.

Robin shares the story of how she first entered the world of design, from early hands-on tutorials in Adobe software to studying art direction at Temple University. She describes how a single introduction—through her professor, Kathy Mueller—connected her with the late Alina Wheeler and ultimately set her on the path to helping design several editions of the iconic branding book.

In the conversation, Robin explains the unique challenges and rewards of book design, including the rhythm of multi-page layout, the importance of a strong grid, the process of curating case studies and imagery, and the extensive coordination required to keep a 300-plus-page reference book consistent and cohesive. She also talks about what she learned through years of collaborating with Alina—from creative rigor to the contagious sense of passion and curiosity Alina brought to every project.

The episode also touches on Robin's work as a creative strategist, how she blends design with big-picture thinking, and why she believes great design is as much about listening and problem-solving as it is about aesthetic decisions.

Listeners can learn more about Robin's work at robingoffman.com. Join us for a thoughtful, behind-the-scenes conversation about career beginnings, the craft of book design, and the creative lessons that continue to shape how brands are built.

A few weeks back, on LinkedIn and Instagram, I asked whether anyone had questions about branding, naming, or other topics I might be able to speak to. My plan was to do a Q&A episode—and this is it.

On this episode, I answer questions from branding professionals and others about branding, naming, and book publishing. Here's a sample of what was asked:

• How do you manage clients wanting to wordsmith your brand strategy work?
• What guidance should you give clients to help them implement your recommended brand strategy?
• How do you maintain brand consistency when people at your company won't use design templates?
• What is the current state of AI in naming?
• How can you attract new clients if you can't show your work online due to an NDA?
• Can you walk through the book publishing process?

Here are links to a few things mentioned during the episode:

• Brand Naming
• Designing Brand Identity, sixth edition
• David Placek, founder of Lexicon, on an early episode of the StartUp podcast
• AI-powered naming agency, Monika
• Tessera Trademark Screening
• Brand implementation agencies TenTen, Monigle, and BrandActive
• Clutch (B2B company reviews)
• Swiss Cheese Mono font
• Ohno Type School with James Edmondson

Thanks to everyone for your questions. If you have questions that I didn't answer, please reach out—maybe I'll do another one of these episodes at some point.

In today's episode of How Brands Are Built, host Rob Meyerson speaks with Jacob Cass, designer, brand strategist, and founder of Just Creative, about his recent venture: the Brand Builders Summit. This innovative, four-day virtual event featured 24 speakers and attracted over 20,000 attendees from 156 countries, significantly surpassing Jacob's initial goals. Jacob discusses the unique format of the summit, which blended pre-recorded sessions with live Q&As, panels, and workshops, emphasizing the crucial integration of brand strategy, design, marketing, and community. He reveals insights into the promotional strategies that generated buzz and shares logistical lessons learned while managing a large-scale event. The conversation also highlights the importance of speaker relationships, communication tools like AI chatbots for participant support, and plans for future enhancements to improve networking opportunities. Jacob's commitment to feedback and reflection post-event underscores his dedication to continual improvement. Listeners are invited to explore Jacob's work at Just Creative and look forward to the next Brand Builders Summit in 2025 (if Jacob decides to give it another go!). Join us to dive into an inspiring discussion on strategic marketing, community engagement, and the key elements driving successful brand experiences.

Today's guest is Alex Center, a designer and podcaster and founder of the award-winning design and branding studio, CENTER. From 2006 to 2017, Center worked for the Coca-Cola Company, helping build the brands Vitaminwater, Powerade, and Smartwater. Today, he and the team at CENTER are building the next generation of icon brands partnering with companies like United Sodas of America, Apple, HEYWEAR, Good Light, New Balance, SIMULATE, and Liquid Death.

One of the reasons I wanted to talk to Alex today is because his agency, CENTER, is a contributor to the new edition of Designing Brand Identity. CENTER pitched in on the pages about package design and differentiation, and also contributed a case study for KatKin, "a nutrition, education, and community-focused cat-care brand based in the UK that works with world-leading veterinarians and nutritionists to develop food that gives cats the nutrients they actually need." We talk about these cases, how Alex approaches branding and package design, and more on this episode of the podcast.

This episode of How Brands Are Built is a live recording of an April 25, 2024 book launch for Designing Brand Identity, sixth edition, held at Noise 13 in San Francisco. The event included a panel discussion moderated by Rob Goodman. The panelists were Dava Guthmiller, founder of Noise 13, Rob Meyerson co-author of the sixth edition of Designing Brand Identity, and Robin Goffman, creative director for the book. The discussion includes thoughts on rebranding, trends in branding, and how Rob and Robin first got involved with Alina Wheeler (the creator and author of Designing Brand Identity, who passed away in December, 2023). Panelists also talked about Noise 13's work for Adventr—a case study featured in the book.

Back in February of this year, I released the first Brand Names Report, an analysis of polling data on brand names from Brand New, the leading brand identity review site edited and written by Armin Vit.

From July 2020 to June 2023, visitors to Brand New cast a total of 22,769 votes across 131 brand names, rating each as Great, Fine, or Bad. These polls are the only easily available opinion data on brand names that I'm aware of. And while the data is far from perfect (I'll walk through some weaknesses on this episode), I wanted to see whether it could tell us anything useful about which brand names are preferred, and why.

To see the report as I walk through it page by page, visit How Brands Are Built on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howbrandsarebuilt.

You can download the the Brand Names Report for free at https://howbrandsarebuilt.com/brandnamesreport/.

Rob Meyerson and Fabian Geyrhalter discuss brand strategy's balance of innovation and foundational rules, touching on brand creation challenges and successful launches in the evolving marketing landscape.

Today's episode is special. It's an edited version of a LinkedIn livestream chat with Fabian Geyrhalter, founder and principal at FINIEN, "a purposefully small consultancy based in Los Angeles." Fabian is a brand strategist and creative director and host of the Hitting the Mark podcast. He's also written several best-selling books, including How to Launch a Brand and The Brand Therapy Book. Lastly, Fabian is founder of Toneoptic, which we discuss on the show.

Fabian was a guest on season two of How Brands Are Built, and I had a great time talking to him again. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

To learn more about Fabian, visit www.finien.com. From there, you'll find links to his podcast and books. For Toneoptic, visit www.toneoptic.com.