Chris Danton’s Post

I went to a branding conference. And actually left inspired. I’m still recovering from the shock. Not because of the speakers (though many were great, more below). Because of the way the conference felt. There were no terrible lanyards. Just beaded bracelets.  Your Bedouin tent number? Hanging off said bracelet. Your activity? Marked by a tiny charm. Environmental signage printed on urns, not banners. Swag designed like souvenirs. Not merch. (Heystudio did the branding and it was amazing) The entire thing was considered. And you could feel it. Frontify could’ve made Paradigms like every other brand conference. Instead, they made it intentional. Specific.  They made your time feel valued. And celebrated. A brand experience, not a branded event. And it worked. The best brands don’t just show up on screens. They show up in details, logistics, flow, energy. In how you felt walking in. And how you feel remembering it. We need much more of that. Oh, and the talks, just to touch on those. Because there was zero shortage of gems: Tom Beckman reminded everyone that in 2025, brands are the entertainment arm of your business. And all branding is retrofitting. Jamie Lillywhite taught us how to use a ‘Living Wall’ and how it helps fix global brand chaos. James Greenfield shared that most brands need more discipline to be uncopyable. And why agencies need optimists (cliff notes: because brand projects are downright hard!) Ruby Boddington curated 4 incredible speakers and then just let them speak—talk about inspiring. Asmah Mansur-Williams and Nkenna Amadi said we should be reframing heritage as something that’s living and evolving. Not holding you down. Marwan Kaabour was poetic and inspiring. But didn't hold back. Most audiences deserve more respect. Mina Maurice had a talk that left me giddy about how blending cultures requires nuance and creativity (truly one of my faves of the 2 days) Iskra Velichkova gave us a GTM that acknowledges people’s innate fear of change when rebranding. Bianca Berning taught us why one of the world’s largest brands needs a typographer on staff. Eugene Healey was the talk of the conference, sharing his ‘personal brand’ journey and reminding us that your best content creators already work for you. Carla Sandhu and Ross Mawdsley shared what bad brand guidelines look like and why brand clarity helps you move at the speed of culture. Jonas Hegi said the unsaid. AI won’t take your job. Unless you forget to have a perspective Nicola Ryan dropped some wisdom on why brands today need soul. And stewards. Nu Goteh captured everyone’s heart with a lot of wisdom on who gets to be a ‘designer.’ It was a blast. I can’t wait to go back. See you next year? Link to the full recap in the comments.