How do you build a fresh and timeless brand?

LISTEN NOW
ASTRID STAVRO
EP.80

Astrid Stavro

In the first of our new rolling season, episode #80, Ross is joined by Astrid Stavro, Founder & Creative Director of Astrid Stavro Studio.

Astrid is a globally recognised and awarded creative director with over two decades of leadership in design. Her work is characterised by powerful ideas, exceptional craft and deep engagement with the content and audience. She is the President of the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) and a member of Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI).

Ross and Astrid discuss what it takes to build brands that are timeless but still fresh and the important role people’s unique stories and perspectives play in this.

Highlights

I always tell my design students, "Do not look at design. Go outside, go read a literature book, go to an exhibition, an art exhibition, go for a walk in the park". All of that is going to be so much more productive

I think listening is a very, very important part of what we do and actually really listening and not trying to oppose a vision. It's just allowing that space of silence that you're able to tap into, collaboratively, to create a safe zone where the truth comes out

It’s unearthing the essence or the story that makes particular brands so exciting and those stories tend to be personal stories

I just associate branding with the origin of the word branding, which is the branding of cows with hot iron. Historically this was done since the ancient Egyptians more than 2000 years ago. I can see a hot iron literally branding and there's something that is just so off putting about it for me

We find the clients that are obsessed with their competitors and their markets do less interesting stuff than people who are looking completely differently because it's the one who is, for example, creating chemicals but behaves like a fashion brand that is really interesting in the chemicals market and the fashion brand that behaves like a restaurant is more interesting. I think this is not just a design thing

For me, classic means elegant and timeless and I would highlight the word "timeless". I think that especially in today's ever changing world, where even a rebrand has a lifespan of say two or three years before it has to be changed, it's actually a huge challenge to design something that stands the test of time

More about Astrid Stavro

Astrid is a globally recognised and awarded creative director with over two decades of leadership in design. She directs her London based studio, working with a wide range of brands and institutions in the cultural and commercial sectors. Her work is characterised by powerful ideas, exceptional craft and deep engagement with the content and audience.

A former Pentagram partner and co-founder of design consultancy Atlas, her work has been widely published and has earned hundreds of accolades. She regularly judges international design competitions and lectures extensively all over the world.

Astrid is the President of the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) and a member of Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI). She is a Visiting Lecturer at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design and the Royal College of Art.

Find Astrid Stavro here:
LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter | Website

Show notes

People:

Companies and organisations:

Liquid Death

Who Gives A Crap

The Cat’s Paws

Monkey’s Paw

Miscellaneous:

Share this podcast with your friends, family and coworkers. You can even use it to impress your boss.

We’d also love it if you could rate or review the podcast and let us know what you liked, didn’t like, and who you’d like to hear next.

*/ We promise there really is someone reading your emails

Want to be interviewed on One More Question? Find out more here

One More Question is a podcast dedicated to sharing our best conversations with significant brand builders, experts, and communicators— people who go about their work of making people care by creating impactful brands.

In this podcast, we explore the idea of brand building by speaking to founders who have built multi-billion dollar brands and experts who think deeply about how to get people to connect with their products, services, or companies. If you’re looking for insight into the best ways to invest in and build your brand or company, this may well be the podcast for you.