Shock horror, Miranda and Kylie are changing up the format again! Kylie got lost in the Barbie Malibu dream house and needed her own episode to do the 2023 Barbie brand world takeover justice.

Hold onto your pink party pants people - Kylie is taking us through the journey of the world’s most beloved and the world’s most problematic doll. BARBIE. How did this little lady change the narrative from being viewed as a vapid, one dimensional, out of date toy with flatlining sales in the 2000’s, to cultural phenomenon and valid lifestyle choice in 2023.

The devil works hard but the Barbie brand and marketing team work harder.

Tangents include but are not limited to why Miranda recommends wearing hand puppets to music festivals, the state of Kylie’s Hokas, the kookiest Barbie’s on the market and what kind of degenerate Barbie’s we think we would be.

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A deep dive into the cutest little guys on text message and how a rebrand cost the company close to $1 million a day in orange juice sales.

Strap in! In this episode Miranda takes us on a journey through the secret lives of emojis. From their birth in Japan, to their rise in popular culture and how different generations use them to communicate, these critters really are a central part of modern day communication.

Kylie takes down Tropicana Juice and their 2009 rebrand disaster, one of the most famous, and expensive, rebrand fails in modern history. How did they get it so wrong and what can we learn?

Tangents include but are not limited to why google would think to put cheese under the patty on their burger emoji, why Gen X are always forgotten and our incredibly underwhelming internship tasks.

Due to popular demand (one person - our Studio Manager) we have added a segment! A personal make and break in which it is revealed that neither Kylie or Miranda have a shred of car pride, Miranda deals with a multi-generational stinkbug family and Kylie overthinks her buggy tour outfit.

Research links:

https://medium.com/@agzmn/the-making-of-apples-emoji-how-designing-these-tiny-icons-changed-my-life-16317250a9ee

https://www.wired.com/story/guide-emoji/

https://unicode.org/emoji/emoji-proposals-status.html

https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/998

https://emojitimeline.com/

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How did a poster by a previously incarcerated street artist manage to influence a presidential election and what is the one thing you’d want to steer clear of when designing a logo for a women’s network?

This week Kylie dives into the glory days of 2008 and the presidential election that saw Barack Obama become the first African-American president in U.S. history. Specifically how a poster by street artist Shepherd Fairey managed to capture the mood of the moment, ‘go viral’ on a new technology called social media, and ultimately influence the election.

Taking it low brow, (so low in fact, we gave out our very first content warning!) Miranda explores the Women’s Network logo that got Australia talking… let’s just say, the designers probably should have taken a quick visit to genitalsornot.com to give it the once over.

Side tangents include but are not limited to 2008 era Facebook and the blight on society that is Facebook memories, Kylie seeing things she didn’t want to in a piece of coral and Miranda manages to bring up Havianas yet again.

Links:

Obama/ Shepherd Fairey

https://medium.com/fgd1-the-archive/obama-hope-poster-by-shepard-fairey-1307a8b6c7be

https://obeygiant.com/

https://obamapostermaker.com/

https://npg.si.edu/blog/now-on-view-portrait-barack-obama-shepard-fairey

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_Fairey

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/16/politics/kamala-harris-forward-shepard-fairey/index.html

Women’s Network

https://amp.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/15/australian-pms-department-drops-widely-mocked-phallic-womens-network-logo

https://www.pmc.gov.au/news/statement-departments-womens-network-logo

https://genitalsornot.com/

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How our favourite photo sharing app found its feet after an alcohol fuelled start, and how could a brand be so bad that it unites all New Yorkers in a shared hatred for it?

Who knew Instagram started as a bourbon appreciation passion project? Not. Us. This week Miranda lifts the curtain on the humble beginnings of everybody’s favourite ‘photo sharing app’ Instagram, and dives into its controversial but ultimately successful rebrand.

Kylie tells a cautionary tale – that time a perceived rebrand of the iconic ‘I Heart NY’ logo, nearly broke the internet and every New Yorkers heart. The conclusion? Don’t mess with graphic design perfection!

Links:

Instagram:

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/07/instagram-used-to-be-called-brbn/373815/

https://medium.com/accredian/the-tale-of-burbn-to-instagram-a9035df134b6

https://about.instagram.com/brand

We Heart NYC:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-we-heart-nyc-logo-flop

https://www.printmag.com/branding-identity-design/new-yorkers-threw-a-tantrum-over-the-new-we%E2%9D%A4%EF%B8%8Fny-logo-are-their-feelings-valid/

https://www.dezeen.com/2023/03/22/we-heart-ny-logo-news/

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/21/nyregion/we-love-nyc-logo.html

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-citys-new-we-heart-nyc-campaign-has-people-riled-up-180981865/

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/03/20/nyregion/ryan-mc-ginness-we-heart-nyc.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/21/nyregion/we-love-nyc-logo.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/we-heart-nyc-logo-milton-glaser-b2305294.html

https://gothamist.com/news/we-heart-nyc-reaction-new-york

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/21/nyregion/we-love-nyc-logo.html

https://www.creativereview.co.uk/we-heart-nyc-logo-milton-glaser/

A story of redemption for the little font that could, and proof that not even the big guys like Nike always get it right.

Kylie turns heads as she makes the case for a comic sans comeback. Sharing its origin story, its pivotal role in the desktop publishing revolution, why it's misunderstood and its triumphant hero’s journey back to cultural icon, will she be able to change Miranda’s mind?

Punching up, Miranda takes a big swing at Nike’s 2005 sustainability efforts with the release of their first eco-friendly shoe. Are these shoes evidence of sustainability innovation or sneakers designed for Frodo & Co. You be the judge.

Links:

Comic Sans:

https://x.com/dcurtis/status/23257004857

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/im-comic-sans-asshole

https://designforhackers.com/blog/comic-sans-hate/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comic_Sans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUCcObwIsOs&t=567s

https://1000manifestos.com/ban-comic-sans/

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/jun/20/in-defence-comic-sans-font

Nike:

https://www.nike.com/au/sustainability

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2009-06-11/nike-quietly-goes-green

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Our first ep! In our maiden voyage we deep dive into the ‘fabulous’ (and famously un-copyrighted) Las Vegas sign and how The BOM (The Bureau of Meteorology) managed to totally bomb their rebrand.

But before we get into our weekly make and break this week we spill the tea on how we came up with this idea, with Miranda retelling the story of a $2 million Gold Coast sign installation that sounded great in theory but forgot one pivotal piece of the puzzle.

This transitions us nicely into Make of the week - the Las Vegas sign. Get to know the sign’s iconic and extremely quotable creator Betty Willis. A pioneer in her field and for women in the creative industry, with a sense of humour to match.

Kylie takes down the Bureau of Meterology next with her Break story - a rebrand that lasted two, yes two, days.

Enjoy our signature blend of insights, humour and tangents.

Links:

Gold Coast sign:

https://goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/gold-coast/eleven-metre-high-lights-set-to-welcome-visitors-to-the-gold-coasts-north-and-south/news-story/35efa9bb5a7a3029ca5f919613595a7c#:~:text=The%20northern%20sign%20will%20be,Hwy%2C%20close%20to%20the%20airport.

https://lot-ek.com/GOLD-COAST-HI-LIGHTS

https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/13/garden/a-neon-comehither-still-able-to-flirt.html

Las Vegas Sign:

New York Times article

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/lasvegas-willis/

BOM rebrand:

https://x.com/dcurtis/status/23257004857

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/oct/19/bom-rebranding-logo-cost-220k-australia-weather-bureau-of-meteorology-name-change-tanya-plibersek

https://www.crikey.com.au/2022/10/19/exclusive-bom-rebrand-the-bureau-prank/

https://www.crikey.com.au/2022/10/21/bom-rebranding-the-bureau-of-meteorology/

https://www.smartcompany.com.au/marketing/branding/australias-biggest-rebrand-fails-bom/

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Join Miranda and Kylie each week on an expedition into the creative universe. Each episode we will tell each other a story that the other hasn't heard before – one where creativity has triumphed and one where things have not gone to plan, mixed in with some chit chat and side quests. Hop in, pop on your seatbelts because we are going on a Brand Odyssey.

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