Episodios

  • Making in-house a home: David Wall, Tines
    Jul 4 2025

    In this episode of The Changemakers, Dave is joined by David Wall, Creative Director at Tines and President of the Institute of Designers in Ireland.

    David shares his unique career trajectory, moving from agency and independent studio practice to leading in-house brand design for a fast-growing tech company. He delves into the parallels between running a boutique studio and his current role at Tines, emphasising the ownership and learning opportunities inherent in both.

    David also discusses what drew him to Tines – a workflow automation and AI orchestration platform – and how their brand messaging stands apart in the cybersecurity space by focusing on the positive outcomes of automation. We explore Tines' culture of empowering designers with significant autonomy, where collaboration means seeking meaningful input rather than permission, and how this fosters rapid progress and innovation. David also sheds light on the seamless integration between brand and product design at Tines, highlighting shared goals for design quality and the benefits of close proximity to product development. He underscores how design's value is deeply ingrained in Tines' leadership, evident from their earliest hires.

    For agency creatives considering an in-house role, David offers practical advice on assessing organisational structure and ensuring design has a strong voice. Finally, he shares insights into his impactful work with the Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI), where he champions design advocacy and policy.

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction to the Podcast

    00:53 Guest Introduction: David Wall from Tines

    01:12 Meeting at RSA Conference

    01:42 David's Transition from Agency to In-House

    02:06 Brand and Product Design Collaboration

    06:06 David's Role and Responsibilities at Tines

    12:25 The Importance of Autonomy in Design

    19:11 Leadership and Design Culture at Tines

    32:18 Advice for Designers Moving In-House

    41:36 Involvement with the Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI)

    44:16 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

    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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    44 m
  • The inseparable link between brand and product design: Rachel Gogel, Creative Executive Consultant
    Jun 16 2025

    In this episode of The Changemakers, Dave chats with Rachel Gogel, a seasoned creative executive consultant. Having built brands at titans like The New York Times, Meta, and Airbnb, Rachel knows a thing or two about transforming brand from a 'nice-to-have' into a vital business engine, and dives into her diverse career journey, from her graphic design roots to her current role as a fractional design leader and educator.

    For creative leaders, Rachel offers invaluable advice on getting brand taken seriously. She champions speaking the language of business, focusing on metrics like user retention and conversion rates rather than just aesthetics. And she passionately champions in-product brand experiences, explaining how a strong brand isn't just about aesthetics, but about creating seamless, intuitive interactions within the product itself.

    Drawing on her experiences, Rachel shares how to speak the language of executives, connecting brand initiatives to tangible outcomes like user retention, conversion rates, and lifetime value. She also shares the story behind her recent SXSW London panel, "Crafting Magic: The Art of Product", featuring fellow design leaders from Dropbox, Slack and Anthropic.

    The conversation also explores the unique brand approach at Airbnb, where design and brand are valued from the very top. Rachel explains how to scale brand across diverse organisations, stressing that strong relationships and clear roles trump rigid org charts. She tackles the tricky balance of maintaining consistency while allowing teams to move fast.

    Finally, we get into practical tips for leaders navigating competing priorities, including internal education, piloting ideas, and the power of user research in validating branded moments. Ultimately, Rachel advocates a powerful mindset shift: moving beyond brand as decoration to brand as experience, recognising that product and brand are inseparable in the user's mind.


    Timestamps:

    • 00:00 Introduction and Welcome Rachel Gogel
    • 01:52 Rachel's Diverse Career Journey and Fractional Leadership
    • 06:50 SXSW London Panel: In-Product Brand Experiences
    • 10:30 Advocating for Brand with Executive Teams
    • 13:14 Brand as a Business Critical Function: Lessons from NYT & Meta
    • 20:00 The Airbnb Approach to Brand and Design
    • 26:22 Scaling Brand Across Organisations and Best Practices
    • 34:10 Essential Qualities for Creative Leaders
    • 44:30 Beyond Decoration: Brand as Experience

    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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    45 m
  • Rethinking how brands show up through thought leadership: Melissa Rosenthal, Outlever
    May 1 2025

    In this episode of The Changemakers, Dave welcomes back Melissa Rosenthal - marketer, media veteran, and now co-founder of Outlever - for a conversation that unpacks how companies can truly own their voice through thought leadership.

    With experience leading creative at ClickUp, along with shaping the rise of media brands like BuzzFeed and Cheddar, Melissa brings a unique perspective on why traditional media models are no longer enough - and what brands should be doing instead.

    She shares the story behind founding Outlever, a platform helping B2B companies transform into modern media hubs by amplifying subject matter experts, customers, and partners - not just executives. This isn’t about vanity publishing. It’s about scale, speed, and relevance. Melissa explains how AI-powered media listening, layered with editorial expertise, can surface the right angles, elevate authentic perspectives, and unlock a new kind of brand-building: one rooted in trust, timeliness, and community insight.

    If your brand’s thought leadership strategy starts and ends with LinkedIn posts or recycled threat reports, this conversation is the wake-up call you need. Melissa dives into why most companies are still stuck in old playbooks, how to break out of them, and what it takes to create a differentiated voice in crowded markets - especially when budgets are tight and attention is scarcer than ever.

    Whether you’re leading marketing at a tech company, building brand awareness in a crowded category, or rethinking your content strategy, this episode is full of practical insights and fresh thinking on how to turn thought leadership into a true business asset.

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview

    00:34 Upcoming Trip and Recent Projects

    01:17 Episode Focus: Thought Leadership in B2B

    02:18 Guest Introduction: Melissa Rosenthal

    04:32 Melissa's Journey and Founding Out Leave

    13:14 The Role of AI in Thought Leadership

    16:10 Trends and Insights from Out Leave's Platform

    21:02 Challenges and Differentiation in Branding

    24:54 Conclusion and Future Directions


    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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    26 m
  • Byte-Size: Jess & Nick on What B Corp Means to Us
    Mar 20 2025

    Here’s another of our Byte-Size episodes! These are little chats between the team at Shaped By, sometimes about creativity in B2B, sometimes about something completely different.

    In this one, Nick Farrar, Founder and CEO of Shaped By, and Jess Evans, Head of Delivery, get into B Corp. Why did we become a B Corp? What does it mean for us as an agency? And what’s next, both for us and for B Corp more broadly? They cover everything from the certification process to the ongoing work of embedding B Corp values in a way that actually makes a difference - not just a badge for the website.

    00:00 Introduction to the podcast
    00:15 Why Shaped By became a B Corp
    02:03 What B Corp means to us
    04:25 The role of SMEs in driving change
    06:48 The certification process - how tough was it?
    10:14 Where we did well (and where we could improve)
    14:29 What we’ve done in our first year as a B Corp
    17:02 Plans for 2025 and beyond
    21:18 The bigger picture: what’s next for B Corp?
    24:41 Embedding B Corp values into agency life
    27:05 Wrapping up

    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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    19 m
  • The subtle power of motion design and systems: Joshua Baron, Jasper AI & Peter Dickinson, Skyscanner
    Mar 12 2025

    Motion design is often the unsung hero of brand and product storytelling - especially in B2B tech. But what does it take to bring complex, sometimes ‘unsexy’ products to life? And how can you move beyond one-off animations and build a scalable, strategic motion system that strengthens a brand over time?

    First, Joshua Baron, Senior Brand Designer – Motion at Jasper, shares his approach to crafting motion systems that bring clarity to intricate products, the balance between abstraction and realism in design, and the evolving role of AI in motion.

    Then, Peter Dickinson, Head of Motion at Skyscanner, dives into the power of motion systems at scale, how consistency builds brand trust, why motion should have a seat at the table from day one, and how to develop flexible guidelines that adapt across platforms.

    If you’re a motion designer, marketer, or creative looking to sharpen your approach to motion in branding, this episode is packed with insights on both the craft and strategy of motion design.

    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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    1 h y 2 m
  • Byte-Size: Dave & Alex discuss Building a Founder-Led B2B Brand
    Feb 27 2025

    Welcome to another byte-size episode! In this one, Dave and Alex, Shaped By's marketing director, chat about the upcoming webinar on the challenges of working with founders to build a strong brand. They cover the common roadblocks - like navigating emotional attachments, getting buy-in from disengaged founders, and aligning leadership on brand direction.

    They also introduce the expert panel joining the webinar:

    Kira Klaas – VP of Corporate Marketing at Later

    Tim Bauer – Director of Brand Experience at Scale AI

    Tom Ovens – Creative Director at Shaped By

    If you work with founders this session is packed with insights on turning vision into a brand that actually works in the market.

    To join the conversation register here: https://shaped-by.com/building-a-founder-led-b2b-brand/

    And here's the link to Kira Klass's brilliant Substack 'On Brand': https://kiraklaas.substack.com/

    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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    21 m
  • How different cultures shape creative careers: Dave Breckon, Carta - Part 2
    Feb 6 2025

    So here it is, the first ever “Part 2” in the history of The Changemakers. And it’s nothing less than a pleasure to bestow that honour on our guest, Carta’s creative lead Dave Breckon.

    In Part 1, our Dave’s (we’ll call him Dave C) conversation with Dave B explored his wonderfully diverse career path, delving into the various lessons he learnt as he wound his way from the cobbled streets of Brighton to the bright lights of London, Madrid, Copenhagen, New York and San Francisco.

    Part 2 sees Dave and Dave hooking up again to discuss how those experiences have shaped Dave B’s perspectives on design and creativity.

    Their conversation touches on a range of subjects including managing in-house teams, fostering a culture of kindness, the evolving role of agencies, the application of AI in the creative process, and the challenges of scaling a brand in the dynamic fintech industry. They also delve into the nuances of building brand consistency while adapting to rapid changes in the market.

    If you haven't checked out Part 1, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/kpPkTFYqHRE

    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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    57 m
  • How different cultures shape creative careers: Dave Breckon, Carta - Part 1
    Jan 14 2025

    Most of our previous episodes to date on The Changemakers have focused on a particular area of B2B tech marketing or branding that has the power to be elevated by creativity.

    For this one, we’re taking a bit of a departure from that, and going deep into one creative leader’s journey. Why? Because it’s equally inspiring, especially for designers out there who may not have everything figured out just yet!

    Dave Breckon is Creative Lead at the fintech firm Carta. In this episode, our Dave chats with his namesake about his rather unconventional career path, from growing up in a creative family, starting out in photography, working in various studios in the UK and Spain, transitioning from freelance work to in-house roles at tech firms in Europe and the US.

    Listen to Dave’s story, and you start to understand the importance of adapting to different cultures, embracing uncertainty, and fostering collaboration. It also offers valuable advice for aspiring designers on navigating the design industry and finding personal fulfilment in their careers.

    And the great news? This is only part one! In part two, we delve into how Dave’s career has shaped his perspective on the current design and creative landscape. Just like this one, it’s not to be missed.

    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction and Warm Welcome

    01:07 Early Career and Creative Beginnings

    01:52 Family Influence and Creative Environment

    09:06 Passion for Photography and Education

    13:20 First Steps into Design and Freelancing

    16:21 Transition to Design Studios and Learning

    20:35 Life in Spain and Career Growth

    24:20 Return to the UK and Agency Work

    27:14 Embracing Startup Culture

    33:46 High Salaries and Remote Work Challenges

    34:45 Creative Company Culture and Remote Events

    35:56 Transition from Office to Remote Work

    38:36 Cultural Differences in Work Environments

    46:58 Career Journey and Mentorship

    01:01:29 Advice for Aspiring Designers

    01:05:33 Conclusion and Future Discussions


    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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    1 h y 9 m