Mike Renaud

A lot of people ask me for advice on writing presentations. They often think a good presentation has to spring from a moment of creative insight or inspiration. I point them at a quote from the science fiction author Octavia E Butler: “First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you're inspired or not.” The... See more

Type specimens are time capsules of typographic history. There is no substitute for seeing them in person, but you can now use a web browser to track the evolution of type design through the pages of over two hundred manufacturer catalogs from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries. For years, I accessed these books via an unwieldy pile of... See more

DISTINCTIVENESS is the quality that causes a brand expression to stand out from competing messages. If it doesn’t stand out, the game is over. Distinctiveness often requires boldness, innovation, surprise, and clarity, not to mention courage on the part of the company.

In the race to the top of responsive innovation and experience-building, a few recent trends are resurfacing as powerful approaches to the intersection of brand, behavior and psychology. The concept of “tribal branding,” of understanding and activating our collective behaviors and unmet evolutionary needs, cuts through the clutter of motivations,... See more

A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or organization. It exists in the hearts and minds of individuals.

Who’s going to bother with all the work it takes to make a track successful on streaming services, if you can net more revenue faster through much more pleasant dynamics on your own terms?