One More Question

Jessie McGuire: What are the limits of branding?

Episode Summary

In Episode #54, Ross is joined by Jessie McGuire, Managing Director at brand design studio ThoughtMatter. Jessie leads a diverse team in creating daring designs and identities for a wide range of clients, from global brands to local communities, art museums and foundations, and institutions and non-profits. Ross and Jessie discuss the limits of branding, how designers should be thinking about their work, and why not all brands need to be ‘conscious’.

Episode Notes

Highlights from the conversation

• We have to be doing work that is going to change the world around us
• The boundaries of branding are absolutely limitless. What's not limitless are designers
• As designers, we cannot continue to think about the planet as a completely replenishable resource
• We have the opportunity to show what we support through what we buy
• At the end of the day, maybe you just are selling chocolate. You don't have to make it be about some larger societal issue
• If we're saying that the design industry needs to change, we have to start making those moves ourselves

More about Jessie McGuire

Jessie McGuire is the Managing Director at brand design studio ThoughtMatter. She leads a diverse team in creating daring designs and identities for a wide range of clients, from global brands to local communities, art museums and foundations, and institutions and non-profits.

Her work spans projects for clients like Kimberly-Clark, P&G, and Colgate Palmolive. Jessie has played a role in raising awareness for socially progressive causes such as March for Our Lives, Girls Write Now and The Joyful Heart Foundation, and supports community-minded efforts for The New-York Historical Society, Downtown Staten Island, and The Center for Arts Education

Find Jessie here: LinkedIn | Instagram

Show Notes

Companies and organisations:

• ThoughtMatter
• Robinhood
• Reddit
• SVA – School of Visual Arts

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One More Question is a podcast by Nicework, a purpose-driven company helping people who want to make a dent in the world by building brands people give a shit about.

One of the things we do best is ask our clients the right questions. This podcast came about because we want to share some of the best answers we have heard over the last 13 years. We talk to significant creators, experts and communicators we encounter and share useful insights, inspiration, and facts that make us stop and take note as we go about our work.

Hosted by our founder Ross Drakes.

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