I had the pleasure of speaking with the incomparable Lisa Smith, global executive creative director at Jones Knowles Ritchie and a featured speaker at this year’s D&AD Festival. Our conversation explored the delicate art of brand transformation in today’s design landscape, where the most impactful redesigns favor thoughtful recalibration over fleeting trends. From global corporations to cultural institutions and creative festivals, Smith shared insights into what it really takes to evolve a brand with purpose and clarity.
Photos by Owen Billcliffe • owenbphoto.com
Our chat was inspiring; at the heart of the discussion was a deceptively simple question: how do you know when a brand needs a revolution versus a refinement? According to Smith, the answer always starts with the brief and a rigorous understanding of a brand’s existing equity. “There’s a responsibility to research,” she noted. “You have to understand what people already love, what they expect, and what still resonates.”
Smith has been instrumental to several high-profile redesigns, including Mozilla’s shift from a slab to a semi-slab typeface to emphasize its evolving position in the tech space, and Chobani’s rebrand that mirrored its expansion beyond Greek yogurt. These updates were framed not as vanity changes, but as necessary recalibrations, especially for brands hitting their 10-year mark and looking to remain relevant while staying true to their roots.
But not all rebrands are created equal. The challenges become more delicate with heritage brands like Walmart or The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where nostalgia and public sentiment can spark backlash, and the internet comments don’t hold back. “With something like the Met, you’re not just changing a logo, you’re changing an identity that people have built personal relationships with,” she said. In contrast, Budweiser’s redesign, led by Tosh Hall, JKR’s global chief creative officer, succeeded by doubling down on legacy, carefully crafting every element to reinforce its American heritage.
D&AD’s recent branding project by JKR, organized around the idea “Drawn to Create,” started with the organization’s need for a renewed connection with its community. With a short time to execute, JKR delivered a typographic identity inspired by the iconic pencil, an homage to creative tools and the D&AD legacy. The work wasn’t just about making something beautiful; it was about clarity, cohesion, and strengthening relevance. As an attendee, I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful signage everywhere with typography in the shape of the coveted pencil. The repositioning of D&AD came to life across the festival.
Photos by Owen Billcliffe • owenbphoto.com
Needing to create alignment across D&AD’s many initiatives, encouraging a more unified brand system that strengthens its mission and impact. As a nonprofit organization that funds education and creative programs, D&AD’s branding isn’t just aesthetic, it’s strategic.
Smith is a seasoned creative who’s worked across a wide range of iconic brands. During her session at D&AD, she addressed the growing internet backlash that often follows both rebranding and the choice not to rebrand, and how to handle feedback from everyone and all their opinions. Having been through it all, I asked her what her dream project would be. She shared that branding the Olympics tops her list—an opportunity that brings together global scale, cultural nuance, and political complexity. It’s the kind of challenge where design doesn’t just serve a purpose; it shapes how the world envisions the future.
Whether a brand looks to scale globally or a design festival seeks to stay connected to its roots, Lisa Smith’s philosophy is clear: Good branding doesn’t just solve for now. It builds toward what’s next.
Header image of Lisa Smith by Owen Billcliffe, owenbphoto.com.
