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Front and Center

CENTER

Each week, award-winning graphic designer Alex Center and co-host Kevin Batory discuss branding, design, pop culture, and more. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

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25 episodes
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English

Episodes 25

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Wednesday · 59 min
Live @ Forum: with Bryan-K. Lamonde and Ariane Leblanc
This week we are (were) live from Montreal! Our first-ever live podcast, here for your ears. In this episode, we close out a stacked day of incredible creatives speaking at Forum, the Annual Design Assembly in Montreal. Andrea Trabucco introduces us before we talk about the hot, delicious, yet unschmeared bagels we had and how much we like the city so far. We then bring out Ariane Leblanc, co-founder of Martha, and Bryan-K. Lamonde, co-founder and Creative Director of Principal Studio, to discuss Montreal, its design scene, and what makes it exceptionally good; working in two languages, being a good lover, our guilty pleasures, chaos, and more!
September 2 · 1 hr 7 min
Job’s Not Done: with Arthur Foliard
This week we have Arthur Foliard on the pod! Arthur is the Executive Creative Director at Koto New York, where he leads a team and shapes brands through bold ideas, clear systems, and distinct visual worlds. Though we do not talk about Instagram (we recorded this in May), Arthur describes the deliberate slow build of Koto New York into what it is today: a branding powerhouse (my words, not his). He tells us about their work for Bolt, Lyft, Tripadvisor, and Amazon. Their work is alive and distinct on a massive scale. They work on some of the biggest and best projects in the industry, and it is impressive what they’re able to do. Welcome Arthur!
August 26 · 33 min
INSTAGZAM??!
Alex and Kevin are back from California, and due to a scheduling (production) error, the fellas recorded a quick one just a few hours ago! Better late than never! Anyway, they talk about Instagram's new wordmark, Good Good x Callaway, Liquid Death x Garage Beer, JIF, and more!
August 12 · 55 min
ALLAN GOOD FUN
Alex and Kevin are live from Brooklyn with a solo episode! The two tan dudes talk about the Allan Peters A$AP Rocky debacle, Hall Pass, Wemby’s new logo, The Cleveland Sirens Identity, Pepsi trying to troll Coke over their rebrand, Buc-ee's suing everyone, and more!
August 5 · 1 hr
The Ragged Edges of What’s Possible: with Max Ottignon
This week we are so fired up to have Max Ottignon on the show! Max is the co-founder of Ragged Edge, a London-based branding agency building brands globally since 2007. Max created Ragged Edge to do the most impactful work. Not the most work. When they commit, they go all-in. They’ve worked for brands like Wise, Granola, Monzo, Zoe, Papier, Mindful Chef, and Grey Goose to redefine their industries. Ragged Edge pushes the boundaries to make work that demands attention and stands out. Max is a fountain of knowledge and insight. He is one of the most profound minds in the industry, and we had a great conversation with him. Enjoy!
July 29 · 54 min
Cool Sh*t: with Cole Poska aka Spaceboy Cole
Cole Poska, aka @spaceboycole, makes cool shit. He is a Partner and Creative Director at Beyond Studios, and the man behind the viral series Cool Sh*t, where he reimagines what brand merchandise can be by creating bold, culture-driven concepts for both legacy brands to internet favorites. The series has evolved from personal experiments into real-world collaborations, leading to actual projects with Tubi, T-Mobile, BuzzBallz, Welch's, and more. Cole’s energy is positively relentless. He is clever, sharp, and prolific, a true lightning rod for ideas. We had a great time chopping it up with him; he’s a fantastic hang! Enjoy!
July 15 · 37 min
BOOT&TY
Alex and Kevin break it down classic Front and Center style. They talk about the Jay Z concert, the World Cup, Ali-G at Wimbledon, Taylor and Travis’ wedding, Chet Hanks x Julie, the Pirate’s Booty rebrand, Pringles buns, the SpaceXAI logo, and more!
July 8 · 1 hr 45 min
Pentagram Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit: with Emily Oberman
We got Emily Oberman on the program! She is a Partner at Pentagram and perhaps best known for her work in the entertainment industry. Emily has designed the titles for Saturday Night Live for the past 27 years—one of many long-standing relationships with iconic entertainment brands like NBC, Warner Bros, Warner Music Group, DC, and Amazon Prime Video. Her work goes beyond brand identity to touch many of the shows and movies that have become part of the fabric of our culture, including The Tonight Show, the Harry Potter Wizarding World and Fantastic Beasts franchises, Ready Player One, and Justice League. More recently, her work has been featured in critically acclaimed Netflix series like Cheer and Last Chance U. Since joining Pentagram in 2012, Emily’s work has spanned a wide array of industries, from expanding further into entertainment (Kevin Hart’s production company Hartbeat and the Russo brothers’ AGBO) to motion graphics (nine years of campaigns for the Film Independent Spirit Awards) to restaurants and hospitality (the Michelin-starred Cote Korean Steak House) to culture and non-profit (social justice organization Dream.org) to health and wellness (the menopause care startup Phenology) to products and retail (the rebrand of American Girl). Her work has even ventured beyond Earth with the space flight company Virgin Galactic. Emily is the best, she is talented, humble, and down to earth. We are honored to have her as our guest on the program, and lucky to call her our new friend! Enjoy the show!
July 1 · 50 min
RESPECT THE SPECS
Alex and Kevin are back from Cannes (a studio offsite to Upstate), and Kevin is reminded that he won 2 Lions several years ago, lol. They go on to talk about Philly Poopgate, the Knicks Parade and the great trash can heist, Ben Stiller’s arms, World Cup Fever, the Messi Statue, more FIFA-mandated logo cover-ups, Rick Ruben x Polymarket, the new Meta Glasses, Specs, and more!
June 17 · 51 min
WORLD CHAMPS!
Alex is back. The Knicks are World Champions! The World Cup is here, and so are many people from all over the world discovering American delicacies like BBQ, Costco, and complimentary chips and salsa. Zorhan was at the finals and the World Cup, and had time to drop the hottest RFP for NYC Groceries, with all of New York’s best studios chomping at the bit for the job. Coke launches collectible World Cup cans. Coors launches a super tallboy (not filled with beer, yet). Stadiums debrand at FIFA's request. JKR rebrands KFC. Tom Brady launches Good Nut. This and more right from the epicenter of it all, NYC!
June 3 · 1 hr 8 min
FREAKISHLY STURDY STOCK: with Thomas Pokorn
Thomas Pokorn is an Austrian-born Creative Strategist and Copywriter. He specializes in creative concepts and verbal identity for branding and advertising, always finding ways to express distinct personalities and connect with audiences through narrative. He’s worked with brands including Google, Red Bull, New Balance, Dove, Porsche, Herman Miller, Unilever, Pernod Ricard, Coinbase, and many more. Thomas worked with us on AYOH!, Quip, and a few other brands that are yet to launch. Thomas Pokorn is a beast. Prolific, thoughtful, funny, efficient, giant, quick wit it, lightning rod for ideas; are just a few words I could say to describe the man with whom we’ve had the pleasure of working many times over now. He’s simply the best. In this casual conversation, we learn about Thomas’ background and how he got into copywriting and strategy through his journalism studies. He tells us where he finds all of his words. (you’ll never guess where) We endure some technical difficulties, riff, and talk about Batman before we discuss Thomas’ ethos and approach to work. It’s a freaking weird, funny, and unpredictable ride. Enjoy!
May 27 · 51 min
KNICKS FOR CLICKS
Alex and Kevin are back in the studio to talk about the hottest topics in design and branding (the New York Knicks). We circle back many times on the Knicks, as Alex is very excited (AS HE SHOULD BE!) about his favorite team advancing to the finals for the first time this millennium! Alex recaps his time in London, judging the D&AD awards before going into Iceman, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, The Enhanced Games, David’s Tinned Fish and Ice Cream, Spotify’s disco ball ‘blunder’, Threads’ new logo, Bush’s summer beans, and more!
May 13 · 1 hr 41 min
The Nostalgia Plug: with Jason Liebig
Today, we welcome Jason Liebig to the show! Jason is a brand historian, packaging archivist, and former marketing exec at DC Comics and Warner Bros, and story exec at Marvel. He’s the founder of CollectingCandy.com, an insane archive of vintage candy and snack packaging, which has led him to serve as the behind-the-scenes consultant for shows like Stranger Things, Mad Men, The Queen’s Gambit, and The Goldbergs, making sure every prop is era-perfect. You may have seen him on the History Channel on The Food That Built America and The Mega-Brands That Built America, and now on Hazardous History alongside Henry Winkler. Jason tells us his origin story, how he started his collection, and how it grew from a hobby into a profession. He also brought a ton of items from his archive to show and tell. Jason’s enthusiasm for brands is second to none; he’s a one-of-a-kind guy and an encyclopedia of knowledge. We truly could have talked for another 3 hours, if not more! Do yourself a favor and check out his archive; it’ll make you very happy. Enjoy! Links FLICKR: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonliebigstuff/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/collectingcandy/ HIS WEBSITE: http://collectingcandy.com/wordpress/
April 29 · 40 min
6-7 Forever
This week on Front and Center… Alex and Kevin are back together in the studio! They talk about the Onion taking over Infowars, Adidas (Sabastian Sawe and Tigist Assefa) winning the London Marathon, Nike’s Boston Marathon blunder, Bronny’s rejected trademark, The Rams uniform updates, the Falcons uniform updates, the Ravens uniform updates, the Falcons uniform updates, Mr. 57, 67 chicken nuggets, Bud Light mini, Allbirds pivots to AI, Drake’s Album release date release, and more!
April 22 · 1 hr 1 min
The Moment of Tension: with Jessica Dimcevski
Today, we are fired up to have Jessica Dimcevski on the show! Jess is the Founder and Creative Director of Blurr Bureau, a Design and Venture Studio that builds brands connected through purpose and profit. They work with ambitious founders, marketers, and creators to help define their brands at key moments in their businesses. The Bureau believes that the brands that change the world are those built on a tension between ideas. Jess and her worldwide team work with brands of all shapes and sizes. You may have seen some of their most recent work. Flings, Yes Apples, and Nuda are among the new and exciting brands they’ve worked with. If you haven’t seen the work, look it up; it’s fire! Jess chops it up with us for an enthusiastic yet casual chat. She talks about her background and where she developed her strategy-first, research-based approach, and schools us about Apples, Australia, and the best grocery stores in New York. Give it a listen, and enjoy!
April 8 · 1 hr 13 min
Building Brands that Work: with Michelle Mattar
We're talking about Practice! Today, we are thrilled to welcome Michelle Mattar to the program! She’s the founder of Practice, a creative brand-building house launching brands from zero to existence. Before launching Practice, she worked at Red Antler and Ritual, blending strategy, design, and creative direction. At Practice, she’s built a number of awesome, successful new-to-world brands like Allkinds, Glowbar, and Remedy. She’s also trying to save our burning planet with the launch of a platform called Waste Not, which is a simple way to search an open-source database of sustainable suppliers. We had a great time with Michelle in the studio; we talk about her journey and starting Practice, kicking down doors and gaining experience in different disciplines, juicebox.com, her dad's candy factory, Practice's practice brands, their thorough approach to work, and more! Michelle is the best, enjoy!
April 1 · 46 min
APRIL FOOLS!
Alex and Kevin are back in the studio, together again! The two celebrate their favorite brand holiday: April Fools! Just Kidding! They talk about Wasted’s canned Pasta Water, the Shohei cup debacle, the Tennessee Titans Rebrand, the Sprite Refresh, George Clooney’s Crazy Mountain NA Beer, Apple’s new lil Finder guy, Starbies, The Fit Bagel, and more!
March 18 · 56 min
DRAMA on Tour: with Chris Nott and Frankie Guzi
Today, we are excited to have Chris Nott and Frankie Guzi of Studio DRAMA on the program! They crossed the pond to record the pod! Studio DRAMA designs type that sharpens identities, scales across systems, solves real business challenges, and makes every word unmistakably yours. They believe typography is one of the most powerful yet under-appreciated tools in branding. They are on a mission to change that through thoughtfully crafted custom typefaces that give brands a distinct look, making them recognizable beyond the logo. Studio DRAMA has worked with Heinz, D&AD, Mozilla, Body Armor, Vogue, New Balance, Glamour, and others. We had a ton of fun chopping it up with these lads! Enjoy!
March 11 · 43 min
BRUTALLY BURGER MOGGED
Alex and Kevin are together again on opposite sides of the Country. Kevin, live from SF, gives an honest review of his first Waymo ride, shares about his recent travels, and his surprising adoption of the Oakley Meta Glasses gifted to him by Alex. The two go on to discuss Zuck’s Miami mansion, looksmaxxing, burger mogging, the new Snapple Rebrand, The Update Update, David’s new protein ice cream, World’s First Music-Streaming Urn, and more!
March 4 · 1 hr 15 min
Defining Moments: with Chad Hogan
Today, we are stoked to welcome Chad Hogan to the program! Alex’s mentor, first boss, and only creative director ever, Chad, hired Alex as a Junior Designer at vitaminwater, where they both flourished. Chad tells us about his journey. Inspired as a kid discovering skateboarding and hip-hop at their early stages, inspiring him to make zines. He was a part of the club scene in NYC as a teen and was on the forefront of the Rave culture when he moved to the city in the 90’s. Chad’s design career started at the New York office of the British Design Firm The ATTIK, which brought graphics from Rave Culture to big mainstream brands. He went on to design records for Bad Boy and later Rawkus before a stint at Rocawear. Chad became Creative Director at Vitamin Water, where he linked up with Alex. Today, Chad runs Chandler Farms, where he designs commercial and residential spaces. Chad is an absolute legend. He’s been at the forefront of culture his entire life, and we were so fired up to have him on the show! He may be the coolest dude ever. Enjoy!

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