In this episode, Michael Jeter, Creative Director at Zapier, talks with Charli about Zapier’s recent rebrand and some surprising challenges they faced throughout the process. Michael is a fantastic storyteller, and he digs into his ideas about the philosophy behind design and how to communicate its true value. From the use of data and user research to process techniques and effectively managing a team, Michael shares so many valuable insights. You don’t want to miss this one!

Zapier is an automation platform that helps you connect different apps to each other without code.

Key Takeaways

02:23 - Michael’s responsibilities as Creative Director
03:30 - Zapier’s Brand Studio team
05:59 - How to maintain consistency between Brand and Product
06:49 - How a fully remote design team stays connected
08:43 - Zapier’s recent rebrand
16:32 - The red cord
21:02 - Rebranding a rebrand
32:56 - When processes need to adapt
38:20 - Handling the emotional side of a rebrand
42:21 - Redesigning the Zapier homepage
44:57 - Getting buy-in on change and dealing with “design baggage”
48:54 - Connecting the product to the homepage
51:11 - Why quality and impact must be the same for design
58:13 - Challenges the Zapier team is currently facing
65:15 - What Michael is most proud of

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