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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20 episodes
Updated Wednesday
Explicit

Episodes20

Newest first

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!
Wednesday · 54 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 15 · 37 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 8 · 1 hr 45 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!
July 1 · 50 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 17 · 51 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!
June 3 · 1 hr 8 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 27 · 51 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/
May 13 · 1 hr 41 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 29 · 40 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 22 · 1 hr 1 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 8 · 1 hr 13 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!
April 1 · 46 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 18 · 56 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 11 · 43 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!
March 4 · 1 hr 15 min
Soil Punk: with Krista Schultz
Krista Schultz is a Multidisciplinary Leader, Holistic Innovator, and the Creative Director at Tractor Beverage Co. Tractor, a client of ours, is the first and only Certified Organic and non-GMO full-line beverage in the foodservice industry. They are now expanding into retail. Tractor is committed to sustainability, tracking the environmental benefits of its organic sourcing and partnering with restaurants like Chipotle to support farming initiatives. We had a great conversation with Krista; she shared her journey from owning a gym to becoming a Creative Director and told us about the cool initiatives Tractor is taking to support farmers.
February 18 · 57 min
THE SUPER VALENTINE’S DAY BOWL: with Jackie DeJesu Center
Today, we welcome Jackie DeJesu Center to the show for our 5th annual Valentine’s Day Super Bowl Spectacular! She needs no introduction, but regardless, here it is: Jackie is the Founder and CEO of DEEJAYZOO, the Inventor of SHHHOWERCAP, a former award-winning advertising Art Director at some of the top Agencies in the world, and Alex’s beloved wife! as an expert in both advertising and love, she joins us today to break down some Super Bowl ads before we run through what brands are doing for Valentine’s Day.
February 11 · 1 hr 8 min
Forth+Back on Front and Center: with Nikolos Killian and Tanner Woodbury
We got some Cali boys in the house! Nikolos Killian and Tanner Woodbury are Founders and Creative Directors at Forth+Back, the Los Angeles-based cross-disciplinary creative studio. Their work spans from creative direction and identity design, art direction and photography, to all levels of print and digital design. They’ve worked with Apple, The Athletic, Chipotle, Netflix, NFL, Nike, Sotheby's, and many others. They’ve launched some of our favorite personal projects, like the book Dreams of New York and the Football zine Spiral. Nik and Tanner are leading awesome, thoughtful, and beautiful work in a variety of different industries. We had a great conversation about their humble beginnings, doing personal projects to attract the clients they wanted to work for, they shared some of their new and upcoming work, and more! These dudes rock, enjoy the show!
February 4 · 1 hr 5 min
DO YOU LIKE FITNESS?
Alex and Kevin are here with a BANGER. Coming off the long weekend, refreshed and reenergized, the fellas discuss everything going on, which is dominated by fitness and nutrition stories in a sort of new year, new me energy. They talk about the new food pyramid by the National Design Studio, The Sweetgreen Function Menu, Equinox’s question everything but yourself campaign, David’s Bronze campaign, the Prime Protein Shake, The Beyond Protein Drink, Graza's mayo launch, Honda’s updated logo, and more!
January 21 · 54 min
Rethink and Advance: with Leland Maschmeyer
Today, we are thrilled to welcome Leland Maschmeyer to the show! Leland is the Co-Founder and CEO of COLLINS, the globally renowned design firm. He was formerly the Chief Creative and Brand Officer at Chobani, where he led its brand relaunch, portfolio expansion, and marketing transformation. He was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum alongside many other impressive people. Leland is also a podcaster, co-hosting Hitmakers with Ana Andjelic. We had an enlightening conversation with Leland. We talk about the future of creativity and commerce, the Collins origin story, designing Spotify's brand, leaving for Chobani and the great work he led there, coming back to take Collins into the future, and more! Enjoy!
January 14 · 1 hr 20 min

Front and Center

Cool Sh*t: with Cole Poska aka Spaceboy Cole

BOOT&TY

Pentagram Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit: with Emily Oberman

RESPECT THE SPECS

WORLD CHAMPS!

FREAKISHLY STURDY STOCK: with Thomas Pokorn

KNICKS FOR CLICKS

The Nostalgia Plug: with Jason Liebig

6-7 Forever

The Moment of Tension: with Jessica Dimcevski

Building Brands that Work: with Michelle Mattar

APRIL FOOLS!

DRAMA on Tour: with Chris Nott and Frankie Guzi

BRUTALLY BURGER MOGGED

Defining Moments: with Chad Hogan

Soil Punk: with Krista Schultz

THE SUPER VALENTINE’S DAY BOWL: with Jackie DeJesu Center

Forth+Back on Front and Center: with Nikolos Killian and Tanner Woodbury

DO YOU LIKE FITNESS?

Rethink and Advance: with Leland Maschmeyer