Brand Strategy Unwankified

Feedback isn’t the problem, it's how you ask for it.
If you’ve ever received vague, emotionally charged, or completely off-track feedback, chances are there's a problem with your feedback process.
In this episode, I break down:
• Why client feedback so often derails projects (and why it’s not actually their fault)
• The role feedback should play in your process
• Common mistakes designers make
I'll share my simple SAGE framework to help you lead clearer, more focused feedback as a consultant.
Because great quality feedback isn't luck, it’s leadership.
 
Connect with me
Learn Brand Strategy - The Brand Method program 
Find me on Instagram

How many times have you said “a brand is not a logo”… and watched clients glaze over?
In this episode, I tackle why that line doesn’t resonate, and what to say instead if you want branding to click for your clients.
Because replacing 'logo' with 'design scheme' won't do it either.
• We’ll have a quick reset on what a brand really is
• Understand why that definition matters
• Get to the nuts & bolts of how to talk about branding to prospective clients
 
Connect with me
Learn Brand Strategy - The Brand Method program 
Find me on Instagram

Let’s demystify the whole workshop thing.
The thought of running a strategy workshop strikes fear into many creatives, but they don't have to be scary.
In fact they’re one of the fastest ways to build strategic authority.
In this episode I share:
What a proper Discovery Workshop actually is (and what it’s not)
The structure that keeps your workshop focused and valuable
How to manage tangents, surface-level answers and energy dips
Why questionnaires are a cop out (yep, I said it)
What to do before and after to strengthen the strategy, and the relationship
 
Connect with me
Learn Brand Strategy - The Brand Method program 
Find me on Instagram
 

Em Sparrow, founder of Sparo Studios, shares her experiences and learnings as a successful studio founder, and why she implemented some big changes in 2025.
We talk about:
• The most important skills needed to scale a business
• Em's experiences growing a team
• The discomfort that is part of growth
• Innovation as a mindset and growth strategy
• One thing the Sparo Studios team prioritise in their brand strategy approach
 
About Em Sparrow
Originally from Canada, In 2019, Em Sparrow travelled across the world to Sydney Australia where she founded Sparo Studios. Since then, the agency has grown from a one-woman operation into a team of 12, with a combined 100+ years of industry experience.
Em and her team build brands, websites, and marketing campaigns that help established businesses lead their space.
Connect with Sparo Studios on Instagram
Connect with Em on LinkedIn
 
Connect with Bec Hughes:
Check out The Brand Method
Find me on Instagram

Brand strategy is having a moment. It’s no longer flying under the radar or reserved for the select few.
What used to be a nice-to-have for designers is quickly becoming a non-negotiable to secure better clients.
In this episode, I unpack
• Why strategy is trending• What’s driving the shift• Why the competitive advantage window is closing
Don't panic, this is your chance to take advantage of foresight.
Are you positioning yourself ahead of the curve or leaving yourself a mountain to climb to catch up?
 
Connect with me
Learn Brand Strategy - The Brand Method program 
Find me on Instagram

In this episode, I have a value-packed chat with Hayden Burgess from Pitchr. 
We purposefully meander through lots of valuable insights, including:
• What it means to have a 'no compromise' business• Cultivating confidence and assertiveness with clients• Positioning yourself as a consultant• Bad habits that creatives develop in business• Simple selling skills with real impact
 
About Hayden Burgess:
As the founder of Pitchr, Hayden helps creatives who want to build a solo creative business that is profitable and fulfilling. He works with creative weirdos who are great at their craft but were never taught how to run a business.
Connect with Hayden on Instagram
 
Connect with Bec Hughes:
Check out The Brand Method
Find me on Instagram

Brand strategy doesn’t need to take months to be valuable.
In this episode I share:
• Why long timelines are bloated, impractical, and irrelevant• A realistic 3-week brand strategy project plan for designers• How you can significantly increase your income even with a short timeline
The purists will be choking on their textbooks.. but I don't care.
This is about efficiency, confidence and outcomes.
 
Connect with me
Learn Brand Strategy - The Brand Method program 
Find me on Instagram
 

What if you're not cut-out for brand strategy?
What if you get it wrong?
What if it takes too long?
What if people think you're a fraud?
There are so many 'what ifs' that hold designers back from leaning into learning and offering brand strategy.
In this episode I explore:
• Why these questions are holding you back and what they really mean
• Some better ways to frame these 'what ifs'
• What leaning into brand strategy can do for you
 
Connect with me
Learn Brand Strategy - The Brand Method program 
Find me on Instagram
 

If I could only give a client one thing to create the most strategic clarity, it would be positioning.
It's the one thing that gets to the heart of (arguably) the most important branding question... why should our audience want us?
In this episode, I break down:
What positioning is and why it's so essential
The single upgrade that makes positioning easier to build and understand
Why this change removes the 3 main barriers to defining a winning positioning
 
Connect with me
Learn Brand Strategy - The Brand Method program 
Find me on Instagram

Designers always want to know... “what am I missing in my brand strategy process?”
Usually it's the same things... the 'hard' skills.
They already have the soft skills.
Asking curious questions, reading between the lines, empathy, and being OK with not having all the answers.
The gap is the technical skills.
Too many designers rely on exhausting questionnaires, over the top avatars and shiny distractions.
In this episode, I break down the three hard skills that make brand strategy clear, usable and genuinely effective.
Bec
 
Connect with me
The Brand Method program 
Free Positioning Strategy Training
Find me on Instagram