I’ve been doing a lot of learning, designing and experimenting lately, and I’ve got a few things to share with you.
I’ve been working through Rory Sutherland’s behavioural science course and a creative strategy course, exploring how people make decisions and how we, as creatives, can move upstream to solve bigger business problems.
It’s a topic I also explore in my recent keynote, which is now on YouTube. More on that below. 👇
I also finished Obvious Adams, a short book story about the power of finding the obvious solution. A quick read and well worth a look.
I’ve also been taking on design challenges, helping other creatives and leaning back into more brand identity work. On the client side, I’m working on an activewear brand and its ecommerce launch, a brand strategy, naming and identity project in the US, and another branding project local to me here in Sydney.
I also attended Her AI Era Summit to level up my AI skills and knowledge. While there, I reconnected with Kinsey Soderberg, co-founder of Her AI Club. She’ll be joining us on the JUST Branding podcast soon, I’ll be taking part in her community, and she’s joining us for a workshop inside BBA.
Somewhere in between, I’ve been building custom AI tools and plugins, including a completely rebuilt 90 Day Action Planner for our Brand Builders Alliance members.
I’ve also stepped back from the social media treadmill to focus on these projects. I was under the weather for a bit too, which is almost guaranteed when you have four kids bringing home every bug going around. 😅 Feeling much better now, thankfully!
And somehow, while all that’s been happening, we’ve arrived at the final 65 days of 2026.
Which got me thinking...
What’s the one thing you want to make progress on before 2027?
Whatever it is, I’ve got a few things to help you get flying... 🦩
🎙️ New on JUST Branding: The design industry is on trial
You know those bits of advice that get repeated so often in the design industry that we stop questioning them?
In the latest episode of JUST Branding, Matt and I sit down with Massimo Zefferino from The Angry Designer to put ten popular design industry beliefs on trial.
We challenge the assumptions and advice that can hold designers back, and talk about what it takes to build a stronger creative career and business.
The episode is called:
10 Design Industry Beliefs That Might Be Complete Bullshit
You can probably guess that Massimo didn't hold back. 🔥
I mentioned earlier that I’ve been building some custom AI tools. One of them is a completely rebuilt 90 Day Action Planner for our Brand Builders Alliance members.
It takes their goals, challenges and available time and turns them into a personalised plan, with weekly actions and BBA resources matched to what they’re working towards. Each plan is personally reviewed by me before it reaches their inbox.
We’ve also got Kinsey Soderberg joining us on November 10 for a practical AI workshop. And I’m considering a session walking through how I created a 30 page brand identity presentation in under 12 hours. 🤯
BBA is the ultimate membership for brand builders. Get the support, guidance, and resources to master branding and grow a thriving creative business —together.
