2025 BACKIES

It’s the best time of the year to celebrate the worst of the year! The Annual Backies are here once again! This year was quite the doozie! We had stiff competition for many of the awards, and many brands and stories didn't make the cut. SAD! This year we dole out: Brand of the Year, Recession Indicator of the Year, Stunt of the Year, Zuck of the Year, QSR TikTok Trend, Rebrand of the Yea, Infidelity of the Year, Fake Ah of the Year, Back it Backie, Lowest Hanging Fruit, Clanker of the Year, Flop of the Year, Refreshing Defresh, Sooo Back of the Year, Ass Backie, and Color of the Year. Don't miss these awards, plus some positive shoutouts as we close the year on a negative note! Thanks for another great year! Shout out to all you listeners, especially those reading this right now!

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 Award, and The Refreshing Refresh! What a year!

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: how they came to be, and how they chose the name when their two companies merged, their aspirations, and the state of design present and future. We had a great time talking with them, they're two very thoughtful dudes! Enjoy!

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 dishes, hottest brand stories, and releases. They talk about the OreoId Thanksgiving Dinner Cookie, Kraft Apple Pie Mac & Cheese featuring Jason Biggs, Butterball's Turkey Day Uniform, Instacart's Data-Driven Pie Power Rankings, KFC's Cluck Turkey campaign, Heinz Leftover Gravy, Brown Friday, and more!

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' rebrand, and more!

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 cultural contexts. Her work is immediately recognizable, encompassing brand identity systems, packaging, exhibition design, digital interfaces, signage and wayfinding systems, print, and architecture.Working at the intersection of technology and culture, Natasha has developed branding for some of the most well-known brands in the consumer and tech spaces. Her clients include a wide range of collaborators—from global technology brands to cultural institutions and start-ups—including Google, Pfizer, Waze, Reddit, Lightmatter, Galaxy Digital, The Asian American Foundation, Harvard Graduate School of Design, the Metropolitan Museum, Fernando Romero Enterprise, Bjarke Ingels Group, and OMA New York.Natasha, unbothered by the outside noise, offers insight into the inner workings of Pentagram. How they decide who gets what project, how they split the profit amongst 24 partners, how they borrow talent from other partners’ teams, what they think about the memes about them... and more! It was a delightful and insightful conversation, and we are happy to share it with you!

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 talking to you on Reels or TikTok. This dude is a content king, spreading the good word of branding. You can see him on the feed showcasing candid case studies, providing a monthly update on the studio's happenings, or speaking on any other design-related topic. We had a great conversation with Alex! We discussed his work and career, learning all about his Pop Punk background and more! We are so stoked to share this interview with you!

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, Taco Bell x Salt & Straw, Arizona Rizzler berry Iced Tear, Chat GPT’s new ads, Claude’s thinking cap, Friend, Toilet surveillance, and more!

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 license plate. Robyn is incredibly talented, as she reminds us of Sean McVay, the way she tactically approaches design sets people up for success. One of the great minds in the game, she is an educator, a movie buff, a writer, a sports fan, an Ed Sheeran enthusiast, and an athlete. We had a lot of fun chatting with Robyn; enjoy!