We wrap up our "Inside the Studio" mini-series and pull back the curtain on Matchstic, a US-based brand consultancy with 20+ years of experience. We sit down with Creative Director Brit Blankenship and Messaging Director Cameron Lebrechet to explore what makes an ideal client, the mantras they find themselves repeating throughout the branding process, and how AI is—or isn’t—shaping their work.

To see more of their work, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.

Created by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), edited and scored by ATAM Audio

In this bonus episode, Blake sits down with Sunny Bonnell, co-founder of Motto, a brand transformation agency helping visionary leaders in the tech and innovation space. Sunny shares Motto’s 20-year evolution from a small Southern startup to a 50-person agency known for aligning leadership, culture, and brand strategy from the inside out. They also discuss recent rebranding controversies, such as Cracker Barrel and Jaguar, and how internal misalignment often precedes public backlash. A.I. also enters the chat as Sunny shares how Motto is experimenting with AI tools and why technology will never replace human judgment, taste, and storytelling.

To see more of their work, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.

Created by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), edited and scored by ATAM Audio, produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Sara Pepper.

Link to Future London Academy: bit.ly/FutureMBA

Is it possible to build a successful agency by giving away your process? In this bonus episode, we go inside the Philadelphia-based studio Smith & Diction with co-founders Chara and Mike Smith. Known for breaking agency norms, they’ve built a reputation by sharing their process and work-in-progress design files publicly. Is sharing their secret sauce… actually their secret sauce? Learn more as we dive inside the studio.

To see more of their work, visit achangeofbrand.com or follow us on Instagram @achangeofbrand.

Created by Matchstic (matchstic.com / @matchstic), hosted by Blake Howard (@blakehoward), co-hosted by Tracy Clark, edited and scored by ATAM Audio, produced by Brianna Belcher, and artwork by Sara Pepper.

Link to Future London Academy: bit.ly/FutureMBA