Front and Center

IT’S HERE! THE 2025 FRONTIES! TODAY WE CELEBRATE THE BEST OF THE YEAR, AND BOY WAS IT A GOOD ONE! Today we award Story of the Year, Brand of the Year, Person of the Year, Rebrand of the Year, Brand Moment of the Year, Cream of the Crop Collab, New Brand of the Year, Soooo Back Award, Good Job Thumbs Up You Tried, Clanker of the Year, Qsr Tik Tok Trend, Man of the Year, The Protein Champ, Zuck of the Year, Innovation That Excites Aw...

This week, we are thrilled to welcome Brennan McGrath and Kapono Chung to the show! They are Partners at Combo, a strategic creative agency that uses strategy and design to unlock what's next. Their work spans from deep research and thorough strategy to design and beyond. They've worked with brands like Away, Target, Nike, Aldo, GAP, Instagram, Bed Bath & Beyond, Street Easy, and more! We talk about all things Combo: ...

GOBBLE GOBBLE BITCHES! IT'S A TRADITION LIKE NO OTHER - THE FRONT AND CENTER THANKSGIVING EXTRAVAGANZA. WE ARE THANKFUL TO YOU, THE LISTENER, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE READING THIS!  SO THANKFUL, THAT I WILL NOT BE USING ANY LOWER CASE LETTERS FOR THIS FIRST PART! We're coming at you this Wednesday with gratitude in our hearts and food on the brain! Alex and Kevin discuss their Thanksgiving plans and talk about the tastiest d...

THE MCRIB IS BACK AND SO ARE ALEX AND KEVIN! The two McRib truthers discuss Bubbagate, The Eddie Murphy Doc, Ridiculousness being canceled, Streaming platforms’ greed, Purple Mattresses, REI Soho getting replaced by an Open Ai Office, Beastland opens in Saudi Arabia, the Marty Supreme Zoom call promo, the Starbuck Bearista, Doritos Simply NKD, the Baja Blast Pie, Graza launches a wine, still G.I.N adds a new partner, and more!

Alex ran the New York City Marathon! Everyone, go tell him congratulations! Alex breaks down his experience of his beastly feat, and we break down the current state of branding! Alex and Kevin discuss Erewhon’s new smoothie, Billy McFarland's new venture PHNX, Kim Kardashian's use of Chat GPT, Liquid Death x Feastables, the Mr. Pibb rebrand, the Domino's rebrand, Apple TV dropping the plus, NEO, the Graeters' re...

We have a legend on the program!! She needs no introduction, but here is one anyways… 

Natasha Jen is an award-winning designer, educator, and partner at Pentagram. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, she joined Pentagram’s New York office in 2012. A six-time National Design Award nominee, Natasha’s work is recognized for its innovative use of graphic, verbal, digital,  and spatial interventions that challenge conventional notions of media and ...

Alex Adam (3 first names*) is the Founder & Creative Director at Boredom Kills Creative. The studio (not agency) is based in the UK and operates worldwide with the mission to build community and connection through world-class brand identities and storytelling that get products on shelves and butts in seats. 

You may have seen their work for brands like Churn, New Brew, or Prince St. Pizza. Or you may have seen him talk...

Everyone wish Alex a Happy Birthday! On this episode of Front and Center, Kevin compiled a 26-page document featuring stories from the world of design, branding, and other cultural touchpoints (things he came across online on Monday). The two fellas spend the time chatting about Lebron’s Decision 2, The Bird of the Year, a little bit of sports, Guy Fieri getting scammed, Gigantic’s rebrand, Starburst’s rebrand, Pizza Hut’s new logo...

Robyn Kanner is a creative director with a passion for telling urgent human stories. She was the creative director for the Biden-Harris 2020 campaign (shout-out to the infamous fly swatter). After the victory, she went on to collaborate with clients such as Spotify, Showtime, Governor Josh Shapiro, the ACLU,  and led the Democratic National Committee’s first major brand refresh. She has also recently redesigned the Pennsylvania lic...

Verònica Fuerte is the Founder and Creative Directress of Hey, the world-renowned studio based in Barcelona. The studio has been at it since 2007, now 18 years, producing some of the most vibrant, lively, and thoughtful work in the entire industry. They specialize in developing creative strategies and visual languages for clients worldwide. Verònica and Hey are doing a lot of cool stuff! They have Hey Studio, Hey Shop (which create...

Today, we welcome David Heasty to the show! David is the co-founder of Triboro, which he founded in 2008 alongside his wife, Stefanie Weigler. They create design solutions for clients in publishing, art, fashion, music, lifestyle, and for cultural institutions. They've made excellent work with partners like Nike, MoMA, Paul McCartney, Prince, Marc Jacobs, and Justin Timberlake's William Rast, to name a few. David sits wit...

Alex and Kevin welcome Liliana Soorin Kim from the studio to the podcast! Liliana is currently an intern at CENTER and is in her podcast era! We briefly recap our offsite, talk a little baseball, and discuss Alex's training regimen before diving headfirst into this week's topics (mainly food and beverage related) on empty stomachs (brave). We talk about Man Cereal, Nicotina beverage, Chipotle x Carvel, Oscar Mayer EveryBu...

Nihilo is an award-winning creative agency founded by creative directors Emunah Winer and Margarett (Margy) Kerr-Jarrett, based in Columbus, OH. They create brands that get picked up off the shelf, explored, and talked about. Their clients range from tequila, cannabis, and dog food brands to global fintechs, logistics operators, and healthcare providers. Nihilo is an ever-evolving creative powerhouse that makes and launches its own...

Alex and Kevin are coming at you for the 3rd consecutive solo episode! The most consecutive in quite some time, or at least that's how it feels! Kevin discovers some new sounds on the sound board they've been using for years. Then the two fellas go on to discuss the Coldplay Affair, David sells cod, FYRE Festival IP sells on EBAY, the Lyft rebrand, Von Dutch hard soda, J.Crew Pasta, Range Rover's new secondary logo, ...

Alex and Kevin are back from the long weekend, chomping at the bit to discuss their activities.. Kevin recaps his epic Fourth of July at Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, and Alex talks about his relaxing weekend. They go on to talk about the Bear season 4, people complaining about Liquid Glass again, the Stella Artois Wimbledon can, the Tripadvisor rebrand by Koto, Rob McElhenney rebrands to Rob Mac, 50 Cent turns 50, the In...