Front and Center
Each week, award-winning graphic designer Alex Center and co-host Kevin Batory discuss branding, design, pop culture, and more. New episodes drop every Wednesday.
Episodes
217 episodes
The Ragged Edges of What’s Possible: with Max Ottignon
This week we are so fired up to have Max Ottignon on the show! Max is the co-founder of Ragged Edge, a London-based branding agency building brands globally since 2007. Max created Ragged Edge to do the most impactful work. Not the most work. W...
Cool Sh*t: with Cole Poska aka Spaceboy Cole
Cole Poska, aka @spaceboycole, makes cool shit. He is a Partner and Creative Director at Beyond Studios, and the man behind the viral series Cool Sh*t, where he reimagines what brand merchandise can be by creating bold, culture-driven concepts ...
BOOT&TY
Alex and Kevin break it down classic Front and Center style. They talk about the Jay Z concert, the World Cup, Ali-G at Wimbledon, Taylor and Travis’ wedding, Chet Hanks x Julie, the Pirate’s Booty rebrand, Pringles buns, the SpaceXAI logo, and...
Pentagram Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit: with Emily Oberman
We got Emily Oberman on the program! She is a Partner at Pentagram and perhaps best known for her work in the entertainment industry. Emily has designed the titles for Saturday Night Live for the past 27 years—one of many long-stand...
RESPECT THE SPECS
Alex and Kevin are back from Cannes (a studio offsite to Upstate), and Kevin is reminded that he won 2 Lions several years ago, lol. They go on to talk about Philly Poopgate, the Knicks Parade and the great trash can heist, Ben Stiller’s arms, ...
WORLD CHAMPS!
Alex is back. The Knicks are World Champions! The World Cup is here, and so are many people from all over the world discovering American delicacies like BBQ, Costco, and complimentary chips and salsa. Zorhan was at the finals and the World Cup,...
FREAKISHLY STURDY STOCK: with Thomas Pokorn
Thomas Pokorn is an Austrian-born Creative Strategist and Copywriter. He specializes in creative concepts and verbal identity for branding and advertising, always finding ways to express distinct personalities and connect with audiences through...
KNICKS FOR CLICKS
Alex and Kevin are back in the studio to talk about the hottest topics in design and branding (the New York Knicks). We circle back many times on the Knicks, as Alex is very excited (AS HE SHOULD BE!) about his favorite team advancing to the fi...
The Nostalgia Plug: with Jason Liebig
Today, we welcome Jason Liebig to the show! Jason is a brand historian, packaging archivist, and former marketing exec at DC Comics and Warner Bros, and story exec at Marvel. He’s the founder of CollectingCandy.com, an insane archive of vintage...
6-7 Forever
This week on Front and Center… Alex and Kevin are back together in the studio! They talk about the Onion taking over Infowars, Adidas (Sabastian Sawe and Tigist Assefa) winning the London Marathon, Nike’s Boston Marathon blunder, Bronny’s rejec...
The Moment of Tension: with Jessica Dimcevski
Today, we are fired up to have Jessica Dimcevski on the show! Jess is the Founder and Creative Director of Blurr Bureau, a Design and Venture Studio that builds brands connected through purpose and profit. They work with ambitious founders, mar...
Building Brands that Work: with Michelle Mattar
We're talking about Practice! Today, we are thrilled to welcome Michelle Mattar to the program! She’s the founder of Practice, a creative brand-building house launching brands from zero to existence. Before launching Practice, she worked at Red...
APRIL FOOLS!
Alex and Kevin are back in the studio, together again! The two celebrate their favorite brand holiday: April Fools! Just Kidding! They talk about Wasted’s canned Pasta Water, the Shohei cup debacle, the Tennessee Titans Rebrand, the Sprite Refr...
DRAMA on Tour: with Chris Nott and Frankie Guzi
Today, we are excited to have Chris Nott and Frankie Guzi of Studio DRAMA on the program! They crossed the pond to record the pod! Studio DRAMA designs type that sharpens identities, scales across systems, solves real business chal...
BRUTALLY BURGER MOGGED
Alex and Kevin are together again on opposite sides of the Country. Kevin, live from SF, gives an honest review of his first Waymo ride, shares about his recent travels, and his surprising adoption of the Oakley Meta Glasses gifted to him by Al...
Defining Moments: with Chad Hogan
Today, we are stoked to welcome Chad Hogan to the program! Alex’s mentor, first boss, and only creative director ever, Chad, hired Alex as a Junior Designer at vitaminwater, where they both flourished.Chad tells us about his journey. Ins...
Soil Punk: with Krista Schultz
Krista Schultz is a Multidisciplinary Leader, Holistic Innovator, and the Creative Director at Tractor Beverage Co. Tractor, a client of ours, is the first and only Certified Organic and non-GMO full-line beverage in the foodservice industry. T...
THE SUPER VALENTINE’S DAY BOWL: with Jackie DeJesu Center
Today, we welcome Jackie DeJesu Center to the show for our 5th annual Valentine’s Day Super Bowl Spectacular! She needs no introduction, but regardless, here it is: Jackie is the Founder and CEO of DEEJAYZOO, the Inventor of SHHHOWERCAP, a form...
Forth+Back on Front and Center: with Nikolos Killian and Tanner Woodbury
We got some Cali boys in the house! Nikolos Killian and Tanner Woodbury are Founders and Creative Directors at Forth+Back, the Los Angeles-based cross-disciplinary creative studio. Their work spans from creative direction and identity design, a...
DO YOU LIKE FITNESS?
Alex and Kevin are here with a BANGER. Coming off the long weekend, refreshed and reenergized, the fellas discuss everything going on, which is dominated by fitness and nutrition stories in a sort of new year, new me energy. They talk about the...
Rethink and Advance: with Leland Maschmeyer
Today, we are thrilled to welcome Leland Maschmeyer to the show! Leland is the Co-Founder and CEO of COLLINS, the globally renowned design firm. He was formerly the Chief Creative and Brand Officer at Chobani, where he led its brand relaunch, p...
ONE THING CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING
Hello and Happy New Year! 2026 is going to be our year! Let’s go! Excuse me while I break the 4th wall… We recorded this at the end of the day on the first Monday back from 2 weeks off. This was quite possibly the worst day of the year, and sti...
2025 BACKIES
It’s the best time of the year to celebrate the worst of the year! The Annual Backies are here once again! This year was quite the doozie! We had stiff competition for many of the awards, and many brands and stories didn't make the cut. SAD! Th...
2025 FRONTIES
IT’S HERE! THE 2025 FRONTIES! TODAY WE CELEBRATE THE BEST OF THE YEAR, AND BOY WAS IT A GOOD ONE! Today we award Story of the Year, Brand of the Year, Person of the Year, Rebrand of the Year, Brand Moment of the Year, Cream of the Crop Collab, ...
The Combo Combination: with Brennan McGrath and Kapono Chung
This week, we are thrilled to welcome Brennan McGrath and Kapono Chung to the show! They are Partners at Combo, a strategic creative agency that uses strategy and design to unlock what's next. Their work spans from deep research and thorough st...