The designer-turned-strategist behind some of the world’s boldest consumer brands shares how to build ones that last.
Fred Hart has spent his career helping brands stand out in crowded categories - first as a designer, then as the co-founder of Interact, and now as a strategist and CPG consultant.
In his conversation with Ruth Fittock on the Tomorrow Brands Podcast, Fred unpacked the principles he lives by.
Here are five that every brand builder should steal.
1. People don’t read. They recognize.
“You can drive down a highway and if you see a golden arch, you know exactly what it is.”
Great brands don’t rely on copy; they build visual shorthand.
Distinctive assets - colours, symbols, structures - become memory cues that do the talking for you. The goal isn’t to explain your brand; it’s to make people recognize it without thinking.
2. The opposite of bravery isn’t cowardice - it’s conformity.
“Entrepreneurs look at category leaders and try to copy their playbook. That’s how you turn yourself into a commodity.”
Playing it safe kills creativity. Challenger brands win by being brave - by breaking away from the familiar patterns everyone else follows. Distinctiveness always beats imitation.
3. Challenge the category, not the consumer.
“Understand the codes of your category - and decide which ones you’ll break.”
Fred cites Graza, the olive oil brand that swapped glass bottles for squeezable plastic.
It wasn’t different for the sake of it - it made sense for home cooks and created a new category language. The lesson: innovate within comfort, not outside of it.
4. Research informs. Strategy decides.
“Research can tell you what consumers said about what you asked. But it can’t tell you everything.”
Data and testing have their place, but creativity needs conviction.
Use insights to guide, not dictate. Let strategy be the compass that decides when to follow the numbers, and when to trust your gut.
5. Test to learn, not to win.
“If you only test to validate, you kill creativity.”
“Liquid Death would have failed every test - but it made people feel something.”
Testing should fuel discovery, not approval. When you treat it as exploration instead of validation, you unlock more innovative thinking, and fewer Frankensteined designs.
Bonus insight: Distinctiveness beats complexity
“If I have to say I’m cool, I’m not cool.”
For Fred, too many brands hide behind clutter and claims. The most confident ones are simple, bold, and instantly recognizable.
Listen to the full episode on our podcast page for even more gems of insight
