The Changemakers

In this episode of The Changemakers, which was recorded as part of our virtual summit Bring Your Own Bold, Wei Kee (Client Services Director at Shaped By) sat down with Maria McLaughlin (Senior Director, Global Brand and Creative at Abnormal AI) and Tom Ovens (Creative Director at Shaped By) to explore how they successfully navigated a full-scale rename and rebrand, and unpack:
How a partnership based on chemistry and mutual respect delivered an extraordinary outcome.
The criticality of getting key internal stakeholders, including the CEO, fully committed to a pivotal project.
How to manage and deliver meaningful work under "audaciously ambitious" and brutal time scales.
The tangible business success of the rebrand, including Abnormal AI's best financial quarter ever post-launch.
This is an essential conversation if you're looking to understand how to drive ambitious change and prove the commercial value of a bold brand identity.
🎧 Listen now
2. Timestamps
01:21 - The evolution of the client-agency partnership.
02:55 - Why chemistry is one of the key pillars of a successful partnership.
04:19 - Stakeholder engagement: The importance of having the final decision-maker in the room.
07:55 - Building trust and rapport with the CEO.
10:48 - Geeking out: How commonality in thinking helped the connection.
13:35 - The power of positive inter- and intra-team dynamics.
14:58 - Navigating "brutal" and rigid time scales collaboratively.
17:08 - The rewarding outcomes: a durable brand and the best financial quarter ever.
19:30 - The internal and external market reception to the new identity.
24:18 - Advice for achieving extraordinary results with a creative agency.
25:54 - What's next? Up-leveling the work and having fun in 2026.
30:35 - Closing remarks: Success comes from surrounding yourself with good teams.
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In this episode of The Changemakers, recorded as part of our Bring Your Own Bold series, Simon, Design Director, and Justin, Associate Creative Director of Messaging, discuss the importance of visual and verbal branding working together. Two complementary forces essential for a brand’s harmony, balance, and effectiveness.
They look at the whole from their two professional perspectives. That essential balance and interplay between visual identity and verbal identity. They explore how powerful brands use design, logos, and visuals in perfect harmony with their voice, tone, messaging, and storytelling.
Because harmonious, balanced brands better connect with their audiences to win hearts and minds, trust and loyalty.
🎧 Listen now
Timestamps:
02:45 – The Yin and Yang analogy: why visual and verbal identity are inseparable forces.
04:30 – Beyond the box: creating agile visual systems that evolve with culture.
06:40 – More than a logo: how brand systems should cover every touchpoint.
08:30 – The "Feeling" piece: why humans are feeling creatures who think.
10:30 – Verbal branding: giving life and breath to brand strategy through language.
12:30 – The organising thought: using a succinct brand story to kick off ideation.
15:40 – Case study (Shaped By): why we use "Shapelings" and "Studios" to stay human.
20:00 – Point of view: standing for (and against) something to avoid being "wallpaper".
23:10 – Bold examples: how Monzo changed banking with a single color and no photography.
31:00 – Deep dive: positioning Censys as the "map of the internet".
40:19 – Closing thoughts: why bold brands should be more “Yoda".
Send us a message if you enjoyed this episode
If you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech.

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In this episode of The Changemakers, recorded as part of our Bring Your Own Bold series, Dave Corlett sits down with Li-Anne Dias, Executive Creative Director at Brex, to explore the vital practice of "creativity without permission". 
They discuss:
Utility vs. creativity: why designers must break free from the "mandate of utility" to rediscover their creative instincts.
The power of physical constraints: how forcing a "one-mile distance" from your laptop can spark the muscle memory of true art.
Building a cinematic universe: why viewing your work as a holistic body of output, rather than a collection of corporate briefs, changes your perspective.
Subversive inspiration: how finding beauty in old matchboxes and cartoons can sharpen your instincts for high-stakes tech design.
Whether you’re an in-house creative feeling the burnout or a leader looking to inspire your team, this conversation is a masterclass in reclaiming your creative soul. Don't let your "professional self" swallow your "creative self."
🎧 Listen now
Timestamps:
01:43 - What is "creativity without permission"? 
02:22 - The trap of utility and the fundamentals of design. 
03:35 - Operating within business constraints vs. creating for yourself. 
04:29 - Li-Anne’s personal rituals: Sharpies, sketchbooks, and Berkeley trees. 
05:55 - The discipline of the "forcing function" to stay off screens. 
08:28 - How outside art translates into sharper instincts at Brex and Handshake. 
10:31 - Finding influence in matchboxes and subversive cartoons. 
13:00 - Your "Cinematic Universe": Looking at the whole body of work. 

Send us a message if you enjoyed this episode
If you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech.

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👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics
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In this episode of The Changemakers, recorded as part of our virtual summit Bring Your Own Bold, Dave Corlett sits down with Everett Katigbak, founder of Work by Everett, to explore the vital balance between digital innovation and human craft.
Everett, a creative leader who has shaped brands at Facebook, Stripe, and Anthropic, unpacks the concept of "Analog Intelligence", the "other AI" that keeps our work grounded, tactile, and deeply human.
Together they explore:
The Facebook analog research lab: How a "punk rock" print studio in the heart of Silicon Valley became the epicenter of a global company’s culture.
The "Mark of the Maker": Why showing the humanity and even the "mistakes" in our work creates a deeper connection with the audience than perfect digital output.
Designing for AI with a human touch: Behind the scenes of building the Claude brand identity at Anthropic and why physical craft matters even for 100% digital products.
The founder’s disconnect: Why innovative startups often default to safe, "category-standard" stories and how to reclaim your original narrative.
Thinking with your hands: Why reconnecting with physical tools is a non-negotiable meditative practice for the modern designer.
This is a provocative conversation for any creative leader or founder looking to resist the "cognitive offload" of technology and embrace their authentic, inner bold.
Listen now 🎧

Timestamps
01:03 - The Silicon Valley "Lone Designers": Founding the Facebook analog research lab. 
03:35 - Building a dialogue: How physical space and "wheat pasting" transformed corporate culture. 
06:08 - The genesis of Stripe Press: Why a digital giant chose to publish physical books. 
08:03 - Appropriateness in Design: Anthropic (Claude) needed a human-centric identity. 
10:00 - Crafting Claude: using 35mm film, cut paper, and human illustrators in an AI world. 
12:00 - The "Curse of the Marketing Mindset": why brands converge and how to stay distinct. 
14:22 - Striking a chord: why you should be "close to being fired" (in a good way) to make an impact. 
16:12 - Work by Everett: Teasing out the unique founding stories that companies often gloss over. 
20:40 - The pressure of the pivot: why founders get scared of being too "maverick." 
23:41 - Following intuition: Everett joined Facebook and Anthropic before they were "cool." 27:22 - Reconnecting with the ‘muscle’: creativity is a verb and a process, not just an output.
Send us a message if you enjoyed this episode
If you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech.

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👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics
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In this episode of The Changemakers, which was recorded as part of our virtual summit Bring Your Own Bold, Dave Corlett sits down with Scott Smith, Creative Director at Intercom, to dive deep into a critical question for B2B scale-ups: How do you build and scale a brand identity that’s truly bold?
Scott, a champion of exceptional creative vision, unpacks the secrets behind Intercom's award-winning identity.
Together they unpack:
How the Creative Studio operates as an in-house agency, starting every project by asking: How can we execute this in the most exceptional creative way possible?
The system for scaling a complex brand identity across all touchpoints, using the "brand matrix" to push the boundaries creatively while still ensuring a through-line.
The importance of leading by example in a creative studio and how Scott fosters a culture of high engagement and serious, fun work.
How Intercom’s C-suite acts as a creative partner, riffing with the team to shape a vision where the final creative work is often stronger than the initial idea.
This conversation is full of tips for any marketing or creative leader ready to embrace a philosophy of constant change and craft a sophisticated brand that stands out from the crowd.
Listen now 🎧
Timestamps
02:03: Brand is a galaxy, the antithesis of a brand-in-a-box.
03:36: Brand idea: Customer service changes everything. Change is key.
05:25: How to execute in the most exceptional creative way possible.
06:38: The "super bloom" creative concept for the Pioneer event.
12:28: Scaling the complex brand using the strategic "Brand Matrix."
12:56: Ace the Basics: The fallback brand skeleton when moving fast.
17:15: The best job part: Team creative is stronger than initial vision.
21:30: Creative leadership tenants: Early is on time, lead by example.
23:13: Creative team is the example for company operations, not the exception.
Send us a message if you enjoyed this episode
If you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech.

👉 Watch episodes on YouTube
👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed
👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics
👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspiration

And finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!

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