S06.E13 - Branding in an Age of Autocracy: Marty Neumeier on Trust, Truth & Power
As democracy fractures and trust erodes, branding enters unfamiliar territory. What happens to brand building when truth becomes optional and power consolidates?
Learn more at www. justcreative.com/podcast
In this episode, we’re joined by Marty Neumeier—one of the most influential voices in branding—to explore what it means to design brands in a world increasingly shaped by autocracy, AI, and cultural volatility.
We unpack:
• Why branding depends on openness, trust, and shared meaning
• What AI, media, and power shifts are doing to perception
• The risks of brand neutrality—and the cost of staying silent
• The role of brand builders as educators, sense-makers, and cultural participants
• Why Level C is pushing brand education into new territory
• How business can remain human in an increasingly controlled landscape
This is a timely, wide-ranging conversation about branding’s responsibility, relevance, and future. If you’re a strategist, creative, or leader—this one asks more of you.
--------
1:04:49
--------
1:04:49
S06.EP13 - Branding in an Age of Autocracy: Marty Neumeier on Trust, Truth & Power
In this episode, we’re joined by Marty Neumeier—one of the most influential voices in branding—to explore what it means to design brands in a world increasingly shaped by autocracy, AI, and cultural volatility.
--------
1:04:32
--------
1:04:32
S06.EP12 - Creator Branding 101: How to Build a Creator Brand, Community & Business That Lasts with Jay Clouse
In this episode, we’re joined by Jay Clouse, one of the most trusted voices in the creator economy and founder of Creator Science, a platform helping creators become professional entrepreneurs.
Jay has built a standout brand around clarity, consistency, and community—without chasing hype or shortcuts. We dig into what it really takes to build a brand-led creator business that scales trust and stays aligned.
--------
56:41
--------
56:41
S06.EP11 - Inside DixonBaxi: Building Brands That Matter with Simon Dixon
In this episode, we go inside the mind of Simon Dixon, co-founder of the global brand and design consultancy DixonBaxi.
» Learn more at https://justcreative.com/podcast
Known for shaping bold, human brands for some of the world’s most iconic companies, Simon shares how his team builds what they call Intelligent Identities™—living systems designed for scale, emotion, and relevance.
We cover:
• The DixonBaxi Way: principles, process, and creative culture
• Why emotion—not aesthetics—is the foundation of powerful design
• How to build brand systems that stay flexible without losing clarity
• What SuperFutures is, and how it’s reshaping the future of brand innovation
• Lessons from decades of creative risk, leadership, and reinvention
This is a must-listen for designers, strategists, and creative leaders who want to push beyond surface-level branding and build brands that actually matter.
--------
44:32
--------
44:32
S06.EP10 - Problem Framing: Rewire How You Think, Create, and Lead with Rory Sutherland
In this episode of JUST Branding, we’re joined by the brilliant and delightfully unconventional Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, TED speaker, and author of Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don’t Make Sense.
Rory takes us deep into the world of problem framing, a powerful technique that flips business challenges on their head to reveal bold, creative brand solutions hiding in plain sight.
The JUST Branding Podcast, hosted by Jacob Cass & Matt Davies, is the only podcast dedicated to helping designers & entrepreneurs grow brands.
Each episode goes deep into the details of the brand building process, with professional insights, actionable tips and resources to help you build better brands.
The focus is on helping designers & entrepreneurs bridge the gap between strategy and design. Branding professionals from around the world join Jacob & Matt in discussing the benefits of brand strategy, top tools, how to sell strategy, brand purpose, brand positioning, neuroscience, brand personality, messaging, storytelling, brand naming, tag lines, logo design, brand identity design and brand experience.
ABOUT JACOB CASS
Jacob Cass is a Sydney-based designer & strategist who runs JUST Creative, an award-winning branding & design firm that doubles as an industry leading blog. Jacob helps brands grow & get results by crafting distinctive logos & brand identities that are backed by a solid brand strategy.
He recently rebranded San Francisco and Puerto Rico, and also branded New York's Digital District. Other clients have included the likes of Disney, Nintendo and Jerry Seinfeld. Jacob has spoken at TEDx, been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur and has been awarded LinkedIn’s “Best of” for branding.
For him, design is a lifelong journey of continuously honing his craft, as well as educating other fellow designers & business owners to build on theirs, which has allowed him to build a large and loyal following, including his website which has been been viewed over 50 million times. Jacob is an avid traveler and has traveled to 87 countries.
ABOUT MATT DAVIES
Matt is a brand strategy specialist working with leaders to align around their brand and get it ready to connect deeply with those inside and outside of their organisations. His work enables you to grow your business faster and easier. Matt solves a variety of brand challenges, from strategy and positioning to naming and identity right through to company culture and product innovation.
Ireland