Front and Center

Alex and Kevin are here with a BANGER. Coming off the long weekend, refreshed and reenergized, the fellas discuss everything going on, which is dominated by fitness and nutrition stories in a sort of new year, new me energy. They talk about the new food pyramid by the National Design Studio, The Sweetgreen Function Menu, Equinox’s question everything but yourself campaign, David’s Bronze campaign, the Prime Protein Shake, The Beyond Protein Drink, Graza's mayo launch, Honda’s updated logo, and more! 

Today, we are thrilled to welcome Leland Maschmeyer to the show! Leland is the Co-Founder and CEO of COLLINS, the globally renowned design firm. He was formerly the Chief Creative and Brand Officer at Chobani, where he led its brand relaunch, portfolio expansion, and marketing transformation. He was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum alongside many other impressive people. Leland is also a podcaster, co-hosting Hitmakers with Ana Andjelic.We had an enlightening conversation with Leland. We talk about the future of creativity and commerce, the Collins origin story, designing Spotify's brand, leaving for Chobani and the great work he led there, coming back to take Collins into the future, and more! Enjoy!

Hello and Happy New Year! 2026 is going to be our year! Let’s go! Excuse me while I break the 4th wall… We recorded this at the end of the day on the first Monday back from 2 weeks off. This was quite possibly the worst day of the year, and still, we deliver! This is going to be such a fire year. Alex and Kevin discuss their breaks, their resolutions, the Jake Paul fight, Marty Supreme, the Critics' Choice Awards, David Bronze, RIP to the NYC Metro Card, the McRib Class-Action Lawsuit, the 10-hour log fireplace YouTube video, and more!

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!

Natasha Jen, an award-winning designer and partner at Pentagram, talks about her innovative approach to design and her experience at Pentagram. She shares insights on the unique dynamics among partners and the importance of collaboration in their creative process. Natasha delves into Pentagram’s socialist-style profit-sharing model and how their project assignments work. She also critiques the current hype around generative AI in design, emphasizing the need for intuition over technology, and reflects on her love for cooking and cinema.