Inside Marketing Design

In this episode, Charli talks with Julian Lehr, part of the “Magic Team” at Linear. They discuss the intricate world of marketing design and content creation, and how these elements work together to enhance user experience. Julian shares his process for crafting engaging landing pages, and how tight collaboration makes it all possible. Julian also talks about the challenge of creating content with substance, why he describes what he does as “packaging design”, and what makes a powerful first impression for a product. Key Takeaways01:30 - Why Julian describes what he does as “packaging design”03”10 - The “Magic Team” at Linear 07:15 - How designers collaborate at Linear09:30 - How Linear approaches content marketing and storytelling15:40 - Where content fits in the design process18:45 - Julian’s process for writing and creating the Linear homepage27:41 - How Julian and his team worked through the challenges of a homepage redesign36:40 - The design community’s reaction to the new Linear homepage39:18 - How Linear measures the success of a website41:40 - What’s next for the website43:54 - Other projects Julian is working on48:50 - Processes and tools at Linear53:12 - Julian’s advice for people who want to create impactful marketing design Links LinearJulian on TwitterJulian on LinkedInConnect with CharliCharliMarie.comCharli on TwitterCharli on InstagramInsideMarketingDesign.comSubscribe and stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsYouTube

In this episode, Charli talks with Piotr Śmietana, Director of Brand and Marketing Creative at Superside. They discuss the innovative structure of Superside’s marketing creative team and the significant role of each individual's creative voice in shaping the brand's future. Piotr dives into Superside’s brand refresh, the use of the “Brand Collab” Slack channel for fostering collaboration, the concept of Creative as a Service, and how they have bridged some of the difficulties of remote work with “astropods”. Key Takeaways01:22 - Inside the marketing creative team at Superside03:07 - How Piotr describes his responsibilities04:00 - Collaboration and creative challenges11:16 - How Piotr describes the Superside brand15:03 - Superside’s brand refresh19:14 - The challenges of rebranding22:47 - What are “astropods” and how do they work? 33:43 - What is “Creative as a Service”?44:52 - Metrics, and how Superside tracks performance46:00 - Challenges, and what’s next for Superside47:06 - Piotr’s advice for anyone who wants to create really impactful brand and marketing design workLinks SupersidePiotr on LinkedInConnect with CharliCharliMarie.comCharli on TwitterCharli on InstagramInsideMarketingDesign.comSubscribe and stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsYouTube

In this episode, Charli talks with Lin Zagorski Latimer, Staff Brand Designer at Scale AI, about marketing design in the world of AI. Lin discusses the design landscape for Scale AI's two distinct target audiences: AI-enabled and AI-constrained, the creative process behind the company's annual report, Zeitgeist, and the tools used in its creation. Lin also delves into the promotion strategies of Zeitgeist, the importance of appealing content, and leveraging AI tools for successful branding. Key Takeaways01:10 - Inside the brand team at Scale AI02:00 - Lin’s responsibilities as a Senior Brand Designer05:05 - Where does the brand team fit within the company structure?06:42 - What teams Lin collaborates with the most08:20 - How Lin collaborates with product designers09:55 - How Lin thinks about the Scale AI brand and their audience15:57 - How has the explosion in AI affected the company?18:42 - Working on the 2023 AI Readiness Report25:07 - How Scale AI works and collaborates with agencies38:01 - Maintaining brand consistency and managing internal feedback40:25 - Challenges Lin is currently facing41:35 - Lin’s advice for creating impactful marketing designLinks Scale AILin on LinkedInLin on TwitterLin’s websiteScale AI’s 2023 AI Readiness ReportConnect with CharliCharliMarie.comCharli on TwitterCharli on InstagramInsideMarketingDesign.comSubscribe and stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsYouTube

In this episode, Charli talks with Dan Edwards, Senior Visual Designer at Snyk, about his strategies for exceptional brand design. Together, they go behind the scenes of Snyk’s brand transformation, from the initial decision-making process to the challenging task of creating a brand design system. Dan also shares his insights on collaborating with product and marketing teams, the importance of trust in the process, and some of the hurdles he’s encountered along the way.Key Takeaways01:48 - Dan’s responsibilities as Senior Visual Designer at Snyk03:27 - Where does the brand design team fit in Snyk’s company structure?11:26 - Building and implementing a brand design system15:13 - The role of trust in the design process21:11 - What role does the marketing website play at Snyk?23:07 - The process of rebranding the website32:41 - How the design system works at Snyk47:52 - What are some future challenges for Dan and Snyk?51:20 - Dan’s advice for creating impactful brand and marketing design work Links SnykDan on LinkedInDan on TwitterFigmaConnect with CharliCharliMarie.comCharli on TwitterCharli on InstagramInsideMarketingDesign.comSubscribe and stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsYouTube

In this episode, Charli talks with Jess Rosenberg, Director of Brand Design and Creative at Webflow, about how brand design works at the company, their key success metrics, and how they are able to consistently put out high-quality work.Jess also does a deep dive into how Webflow Conf came to be, and how exactly the brand studio team translated the Webflow brand into a live event.Key Takeaways01:32 - What is the brand studio team at Webflow responsible for?02:40 - Jess’s role as Director of Brand Design and Creative04:07 - How do you measure success with a team of multidisciplinary creatives?06:43 - How the bran studio team is structured at Webflow09:45 - How Webflow works with external agencies11:02 - How the brand studio collaborates with other teams inside Webflow16:01 - How did Webflow Conf come together and what was the brand studio team responsible for?22:51 - How Jess’s team created ties between the Webflow Conf sub-brand and the company’s main brand27:25 - Collaborating with the marketing team on a huge event30:57 - Creating demand gen campaign assets33:58 - How Jessica’s team has created a super-fast design system36:33 - How the brand studio team interacts and works with data37:13 - How does Webflow use Webflow?40:59 - How often is the Webflow marketing site updated?42:20 - Jess’s advice to those who want to create impactful brand and marketing design workLinks WebflowJess on LinkedInInside Marketing Design at Webflow with Senior Brand Designer Johnnie GómezFigmaConnect with CharliCharliMarie.comCharli on TwitterCharli on InstagramInsideMarketingDesign.comSubscribe and stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsYouTube

In this episode, Charli is joined by David Preston, Senior Brand Designer at ConvertKit. They do a deep dive into how ConvertKit has evolved over the years, what systems and processes have worked, what has needed to change, and what challenges they are still facing. David was a guest in season two of Inside Marketing Design where talked about his work as the Brand Marketing Manager at Sendible. Since joining ConvertKit in 2022, he has led the charge in some key areas and helped build out new systems that are critical for a small team.Key Takeaways02:17 - Who is on the brand studio team at ConvertKit?04:54 - How would you describe your responsibilities as Senior Brand Designer?08:37 - How the brand studio team collaborates17:13 - What is ConvertKit’s Creator Network?20:34 - David’s process for creating assets28:46 - Design systems at ConvertKit35:47 - What’s next for ConvertKit’s design system?39:36 - How ConvertKit completely overhauled their website44:15 - Charli’s top redesign priorities49:05 - What David is looking forward to solving next54:22 - David’s advice for aspiring brand and marketing designersLinks ConvertKitDavid on LinkedInInside Marketing Design at Sendible with Brand Marketing Manager David Preston ConvertKit Creator NetworkI Am A CreatorInside Marketing Design at Pitch with Designer & co-founder Jan MartinConnect with CharliCharliMarie.comCharli on TwitterCharli on InstagramInsideMarketingDesign.comSubscribe and stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsYouTube

The idea of reflecting on what you’ve heard and what you've learned is one of the best ways to actually take action on those learning. So, in this episode, we’re looking back at the most interesting and challenging parts of season 03 and distilling some actionable takeaways. We want to hear your takeaways as well. Please feel free to share them on YouTube or social media, or reach out directly. Key Takeaways00:00 - Reflecting is the best way to learn02:05 - The importance of a Brand Manager04:04 - Rebrands06:24 - Product imagery in marketing design09:41 - Design systems12:25 - Data and testing16:07 - Copy and copywriters19:31 - Design founders19:57 - Working with contractors and agencies21:59 - Taking ownership23:18 - What’s coming in season 04 Links Catch up on any episodes you missed:PitchMonday.comAuth0ZapierSketchPaystackOysterFunding CirclePlanolyChargebeeRightMessageZendeskConnect with CharliCharliMarie.comCharli on TwitterCharli on InstagramInsideMarketingDesign.comSubscribe and stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsYouTubeWebflowThis season is brought to you by WebflowTry the no-code website builder used by designers and marketing design teams (and by this show, for the site you're on now!) – Get started for free

In this episode, Charli talks with Design Director, Kristina Alford, and Senior Digital Designer - Design Systems, Meghan Kelley, about creating systems and processes to maintain consistency, foster team connection and bridge silos across a very large organization, as well as how they use goals and functional teams to strengthen collaborationZendesk offers customer service and sales CRM tools that businesses use to give their customers a great experience.Meghan was impacted by Zendesk's recent layoffs and is now looking for her next opportunity to evolve emerging or established design systems. Connect with her on LinkedIn if you’re hiring! https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghangkelley/

In this episode, Charli talks with Brennan Dunn, Co-Founder at RightMessage. Brennan is one of only two people at RightMessage, and he talks about how he balances all the various tasks on his plate, including design. Brennan also talks about personalization, and how focusing on specific segments of your audience can lead to a greater connection and, ultimately, higher conversion rates. Right Message is a tool that helps creators survey their audience to segment them and provide the most relevant content for that segment, as well as personalize their websites to speak directly to a certain audience segment.Key Takeaways02:01 - How design works at RightMessage07:17 - How Brennan describes the RightMessage brand14:28 - The strategy behind the new website design15:23 - Tools Brennan uses in the design process17:18 - How Brennan came up with the narrative flow for the new website19:02 - The most challenging parts of the new design22:47 - How long Brennan spends on a design project24:03 - How Brennan uses metrics34:26 - Are there situations where the effort to personalize doesn’t pay off? 40:32 - The biggest challenges Brennan is facing43:01 - Brennan’s proudest design winLinks RightMessageBrennan on LinkedInOptinMonsterConvertKitVS CodeFigmaTailwindCSSCoolors.coTransistorLaura RoederTypeformPat FlynnDriftConnect with CharliCharliMarie.comCharli on TwitterCharli on InstagramInsideMarketingDesign.comSubscribe and stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsYouTubeWebflowThis season is brought to you by WebflowTry the no-code website builder used by designers and marketing design teams (and by this show, for the site you're on now!) – Get started for free

In this episode, Charli talks with Shakthi Hari, Design Manager at Chargebee. Shakthi dives into how he uses systems and processes for everything from team collaboration to design process to iterating and shipping new projects. Shakthi also talks about documentation, and why it’s such a critical component of Chargebee’s process and ability to scale the output of a relatively small team.Chargebee is a globally-distributed company that helps businesses manage subscription billing and take payments.Key Takeaways02:04 - How Chargebee’s marketing design team is structured, and where it fits within the organization03:21 - Shakthi’s role as Design Manager06:518 - How internal collaboration works at Chargebee08:30 - How Chargebee uses design systems10:35 - Taking on large projects16:54 - “Problem-aware” web pages vs “solution-aware” pages24:43 - How and why Chargebee lets the marketing team “design” web pages27:53 - The importance of documentation and why it’s an integral part of the process36:10 - How Shakthi’s team works with marketing goals40:35 - The role of metrics in the design process43:34 - How Shakthi decides what projects to revisit and iterate on51:21 - Chargebee’s design process from concept to launch52:24 - Shakthi’s biggest challenges54:51 - Shakthi’s personal and career goals56:09 - Shakthi’s proudest momentLinks ChargebeeShakthi on LinkedInThe Design Convo PodcastShakthi's YouTube channelShakthi's websiteAudience Influence Model by Brian CugelmanEat That Frog! By Brian TracyMeasure What Matters by John DoerrConnect with CharliCharliMarie.comCharli on TwitterCharli on InstagramInsideMarketingDesign.comSubscribe and stay in touchApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsYouTubeWebflowThis season is brought to you by WebflowTry the no-code website builder used by designers and marketing design teams (and by this show, for the site you're on now!) – Get started for free