Brand Strategy Unwankified
The Brand Strategy Unwankified podcast, hosted by Bec Hughes, is the no BS space for brand designers and creators who want to learn brand strategy and sell it as a service. If you’re over the jargon and gatekeeping of the ‘exclusive club’, and want practical, honest tools, tips and insights, you’re in the right place. ~ Why listen… this podcast is dedicated to helping brand designers confidently add strategy to their skillset and create a lucrative revenue stream. ~ What you’ll hear… real talk on pricing, selling, frameworks, and processes, with expert insights and case studies. ~ The vibe… cheeky, straight-talking, simplified, and totally unwankified. Subscribe and let’s dive in!
Episodes

Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
99. How to Dovetail Strategy into Your Brand Design Process
Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
Not sure how to fit brand strategy into your design process?
This is the episode for you:
Why strategy doesn't have to be as complex as you think
The 5 steps in my SIMPLE framework
How to seamlessly dovetail strategy into your current design workflow
What it really means in terms of time and workload
Find out how adding strategy to your process could be the smartest shift you make.
Want to connect with me?
Check out The Brand Method
Find me on Instagram
Listen to Episode 83: My 5 Pillars Brand Strategy Research Framework

Thursday Apr 03, 2025
98. Attract Clients Ready for Brand Strategy
Thursday Apr 03, 2025
Thursday Apr 03, 2025
Struggling to position yourself as a brand strategist? Finding clients don't want to or aren't ready to buy brand strategy services?
In this episode, I break down the Brand Strategist Focus Funnel (BSFF) - attract the right clients, build authority, and make buying from you easy.
You’ll learn:
✔ How to become known for the right thing with a compelling Value Pitch✔ How to attract predisposed clients using a Value Magnet✔ How to make buying from you easy with a Value Proposal
If you want to stop feeling invisible and start being valuable, this one’s for you!
Want to connect with me?
Check out The Brand Method
Find me on Instagram

Wednesday Mar 26, 2025
97. Rethinking Customer Avatars
Wednesday Mar 26, 2025
Wednesday Mar 26, 2025
Over-engineered avatars are the brand strategy equivalent of a chocolate teapot - seems fun, but not fit for purpose.
In this episode, I'm rethinking customer avatars, because the overcomplicated, deeply nuanced descriptions everyone tells you to create are actually unhelpful for brand strategy:
Why unnecessary details (like Jane’s Spotify playlist) miss the point
What really drives buying decisions (hint: it's not their coffee order)
The SHINE framework - a simple but powerful approach to define the audience effectively
Want to connect with me?
Check out The Brand Method
Find me on Instagram

Friday Mar 21, 2025
96. Simple Brand Strategy Minus the Buzzwords
Friday Mar 21, 2025
Friday Mar 21, 2025
Brand strategy is full of buzzwords, but does it need to be?
In this episode, I share a straight-forward approach to developing strategies that are simple, but not basic. We’ll bridge the gap between client and business goals, and what their audience actually wants.
No fluff, no jargon - just a practical, simple approach for designers who want to create and talk about brand strategy with confidence.
The role of brand strategy
A simple, five-question framework that makes strategy accessible
How to drop the jargon and start selling and presenting brand strategy in a way clients understand
Want to connect with me?
Check out The Brand MethodFind me on Instagram

Friday Mar 21, 2025
95. The Evolution of The C Word Podcast
Friday Mar 21, 2025
Friday Mar 21, 2025
The C Word Podcast is evolving!
Welcome to Brand Strategy Unwankified, a no-BS space for brand designers and creators who want to learn brand strategy and sell it as a service. If you’re over the jargon and gatekeeping of the ‘exclusive club’, and want practical, honest tools and insights, you’re in the right place.
Why listen… this podcast is dedicated to helping brand designers confidently add strategy to their skillset and create a lucrative revenue stream.
What you’ll hear… real talk on pricing, selling, frameworks, and processes, with expert insights and case studies.
The vibe… cheeky, straight-talking, simplified, and totally unwankified.
Subscribe and let’s dive in!Want to connect with me?
Check out The Brand MethodFind me on Instagram

Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
94. Email Marketing 101 for Designers
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
Email marketing... are you doing a bit or none at all?
In this episode of The C Word Podcast I share my perspective on the 3 key questions I think designer are asking when it comes to email marketing?
1. Do I really need to send regular emails, my business is about visuals not words?
2. What should I send, because who needs another newsletter?
3. How do I get people on my list?
Links & Resources You Might Love
Eps 59 - Lifting the Veil on the Perfect Lead Magnet
10 Lead Magnet Ideas for Graphic Designers
Download the Brand Designer to Strategist 90 Day Plan
Subscribe to The Brand Brief

Monday May 20, 2024
93. When Your Client Doesn't Value Brand Strategy
Monday May 20, 2024
Monday May 20, 2024
In this episode I share the one thing you need to do if you find your clients don't value or want to buy brand strategy.
You need to make ‘ownership’ of brand strategy a priority and that involves upgrading 1, 2 or all of the following:
• Your offer• Your message• Your content
Resources You Might Love
Download the Brand Designer to Strategist 90 Day Plan
Subscribe to The Brand Brief

Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
92. Getting Your Design Work Signed Off First Time
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Wednesday Apr 17, 2024
Sometimes the design work just isn't right, but that's not always the case.
In this episode I share some of the other reasons clients don't sign off first time.
I also share 4 things you can do to work towards making sign-off first time the norm not the exception.
Bec x
Resources You Might Love
Download the Brand Designer to Strategist 90 Day Plan
Subscribe to The Brand Brief
Episode 72 - How Many Design Concepts Should You Present

Thursday Apr 11, 2024
91. My Shittiest Client Experiences
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
This episode is part therapy session, part cautionary tale and part paying it forward so you can learn from my mistakes.
First, let's be real, having 100% 'dream clients' isn't realistic.
You won't always repel or be able to pick the pain in the ass clients straightaway.
In this episode you'll hear about:
~ My shittiest client experiences
~ The learnings I took from it
~ Why 80:20 'shining star' vs 'shitty' clients is great, not a sign of failure
~ What you can do to give yourself the best chance of achieving and improving on that ratio
Resources You Might Love
Download the Brand Designer to Strategist 90 Day Plan
Subscribe to The Brand Brief

Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
90. ChatGPT and Brand Strategy: Can You Outsource Your Creativity to AI?
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
With so many tools and custom prompts to support AI generated content and solutions, I want to ask if AI can make you more creative.
It can make you more efficient, perhaps more informed. But as brand designers one of our key messages is the importance of originality and ingenuity in brand.
How can we use AI as the creative engine and simultaneously stand by that claim?
Does using AI as a tool to create brand strategy undermine our point of difference, turn us into a curator rather than a creator?
In this podcast, I discuss why AI is both a threat and (ironically) a competitive advantage for brand designers.
Resources You Might Love
Download the Brand Designer to Strategist 90 Day Plan
Subscribe to The Brand Brief

Welcome to Where Creative Meets Business
Each week, your host Bec Hughes, brand consultant, designer and coach, will dive into topics to put more business in your creative and more creative in your business.
In solo episodes and inspo filled chats with my amazing guests, I'll share tips, advice and inspiration on all things brand, design, creativity, business and blue-sky.