How fragmented commerce is forcing a smarter, more intentional brand strategy.
*By Julian Rucker
In this issue of Design Pulse, we explore how design teams are adapting to a distributed brand landscape—where consistency must be maintained across regions, platforms, formats, and even time zones.
- This week’s pulse includes:
- 📈 Canva Skills Are Now a Baseline for Design HiresOnce dismissed by professionals, Canva is now an expected skill in job listings—signaling a shift in how design teams scale content production.▶︎ https://www.fastcompany.com/91334811/canva-skills-hiring-graphic-design-job-designers-increasingly-want-to-see
- 🎮 The Game Awards Rebrands with a Sharp, Minimal LogoThe iconic gaming event adopts a logo that doubles down on modularity and brand equity across screen formats.▶︎ https://www.creativebloq.com/design/logos-icons/the-new-game-awards-logo-shows-less-can-be-a-lot-more
- 🗺️ Visit Bellevue Washington Unveils New Brand IdentityA tourism rebrand grounded in clarity, modern typography, and local personality.▶︎ https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20250724456312/visit-bellevue-washington-reveals-new-brand-identity
- 🧠 Distributed Commerce Is Breaking Legacy Brand StructuresIn a platform-saturated retail ecosystem, brands must unify identity, operations, and data pipelines.▶︎ https://martech.org/distributed-storefronts-demand-smarter-faster-brand-strategy/
- 🍔 Vintage Fast Food Logos Reveal a Taste ShiftFrom hand-drawn charm to corporate gloss and now back again—these legacy logos show how nostalgia has become strategy.▶︎ https://www.chowhound.com/1920226/old-school-fast-food-logos/
- 🚗 Gilles Vidal Takes Over European Brand Design at StellantisKnown for Peugeot’s transformation, Vidal brings his architectural design approach to Stellantis’ European fleet.▶︎ https://www.carsifu.my/news/renault-designer-gilles-vidal-is-new-stellantis-head-of-european-brand-design
Canva has evolved far beyond beginner use. With features like brand kits, shared templates, and editable style guides, it now supports real team collaboration—especially between designers and non-designers. While tools like Figma or Adobe still lead for complexity, Canva stands out for its accessibility and speed. As a result, it’s becoming essential in modern workflows.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91334811/canva-skills-hiring-graphic-design-job-designers-increasingly-want-to-see
Sometimes, simplifying says more. The original logo had charm, but the new mark sharpens balance between icon and name. The layout is tighter, ratios cleaner, and the result more legible across screens. While the type lost a bit of flair, this redesign proves that restraint often leads to better performance.
Bellevue’s new identity does more than refresh visuals—it reshapes the city’s narrative. By blending regional myth with modern storytelling, the brand invites curiosity and boosts tourism appeal. More than just aesthetics, this is strategy. It shows how place branding can build both pride and visibility at once.
Buying is now constant—across apps, posts, and screens. With storefronts fragmented, brands must rethink how they scale design, not just marketing. A logo isn’t enough. To stay coherent, businesses need unified systems that align data, content, and delivery. The shift demands flexibility, but also deep coordination.
https://martech.org/distributed-storefronts-demand-smarter-faster-brand-strategy/
Old logos offer more than nostalgia. Many fast food brands once leaned into mascots and quirks—but most have since stripped them away. As they grew, identity gave way to uniformity. It raises a question: does scaling up mean losing personality? And if so, what’s the trade-off?
https://www.chowhound.com/1920226/old-school-fast-food-logos/
After his success reimagining Peugeot’s brand, Gilles Vidal’s move to Stellantis signals After revamping Peugeot, Gilles Vidal’s move to Stellantis signals something bigger. Car brands increasingly treat design not as styling, but as narrative. In a saturated market, differentiation starts with detail. This isn’t just a leadership change—it’s a bet on storytelling through form.
In a distributed age, design doesn’t just scale—it syncs. And to keep up, we need alignment at the level of code, content, and culture.
Let’s design for distance—and connection.
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