If I Hadn't Worked at Donna Karan: Core Passions and Alternatives

In this episode of The Futur Podcast, Chris Do sits down with Geoff Cook, founder of Base Design New York, to explore the art of world-building through branding. Geoff recounts his early days at DKNY, where he learned the fundamentals of brand, culture, and retail experience before co-founding Base around the turn of the millennium.

Together, they discuss how his marketing background shaped his approach to strategy and storytelling—skills that continue to guide his creative leadership today. Geoff shares insights on the intersection of design, business, and emotion, emphasizing how understanding brand perception drives everything from positioning to execution.

Timestamps

(00:00) - Intro (03:34) - Breaking into DKNY fashion (07:09) - Founding Base Design New York (10:44) - Lessons from brand culture (14:19) - Growth through early leadership (17:54) - Adapting to creative disruption (21:29) - What AI can’t replace (25:04) - The rise of world-building (28:39) - Story behind Matcha Brand “12” (32:14) - Creating immersive brand worlds (35:49) - Speaking business as designers (39:24) - Defining brand perception clearly (42:59) - Research and market positioning (46:34) - Aligning stakeholders for success (50:09) - Writing effective creative briefs (53:44) - Managing client misalignment issues (57:19) - Turning strategy into business growth (01:00:54) - Measuring creative brand success (01:04:29) - Future of branding with AI

Check out today's guest, Geoff Cook:

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoff-cook-b587804

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.basedesign.com/

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/geoffreycook/?hl=en

Check out The Futur:

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Check out Chris Do:

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