On September 15th Apple released iOS 26 – featuring a controversial all-new design language that they’re calling “Liquid Glass”. Drawing inspiration from transparency, magnification and reflection of actual glass, Apple is trying a new twist at “skeuomorphism” – a classic design practice that incorporates real-world visual elements and textures into digital interfaces. Raj and Ben take you on a journey through the evolution of smart phone interface design and explore the implications of this radical new design language by such an industry leader. What does Liquid Glass mean for brands? Will other companies need to adopt this new design aesthetic? How does Google’s new “Material 3 Expressive” design language compare to Apple’s update? Is Liquid Glass actually good design? And perhaps more importantly, is Liquid Glass good for us? Have you updated to iOS 26? What do you think of Apple’s new design?

If you can go five minutes on LinkedIn without some “influencer” telling you need to “create your IP” or “build your platform,” you’ve got a better algorithm than I do. Every leader who has been in the workforce for more than 10 years knows something that other people need to know. So then why do we freeze up at the idea of writing a new post or email? Or why do we feel like “going viral” would solve all our business problems if we could just get over the gag reflex that arises when we think about doing TikTok dances? Macy Robison has the answer. Her Thought Leadership Archetypes framework is the first one I’ve ever found that makes sense. Macy used to be a middle school music teacher, which means she not only has the patience of a saint, she’s used to explaining things to people who are . . . distracted. Drawing on the principle of “resonance” from the world of music, Macy explains why some approaches (like creating a digital course, writing a book, or, yes, doing a TikTok dance) fit some people and feel awful to others. Spoiler alert: It’s because we don’t all resonate with the same things or in the same way. If you’re a smart leader who wants to show your expertise to the world without shaking your work ethic on the social medias, this interview with the brilliant Macy Robison is for you.

Without an artist, is it still considered art? Spotify has begun sneaking “AI Ghost Artists” into their listener’s playlists. To the casual listener, these ghosts may sound like real artists – but they offer a big advantage to Spotify: They don’t have to pay royalties to AI musicians. Ben and Raj explore the moral, business, and existential ramifications of a world filled with soulless, generative art and music. Is entertainment designed to exploit human emotions psychopathic? Can humans truly be moved by music devoid of true story, talent, and emotion? What makes something art? Welcome to Season 4 of Growing a Fruitful Brand. #ai #aighostartists #spotify #aimusic

It’s not every day that a nationwide rebrand emergency happens – Ben and Raj could no longer keep silent about the branding story of our generation: The Great Cracker Barrel Fiasco What happened?: Last week, Cracker Barrel released a new logo, the internet melted, their stock plummeted, President Trump scolded them, and they went back to their old logo. That’s the story in a nutshell, anyway. Was the visual rebrand really that bad? Or was this really just a political story that got way out of hand? Join Raj and Ben as they unpack the attempted rebrand from a design and branding perspective, and learn a valuable lesson about differentiation and honoring your brand’s history. #crackerbarrel #rebrand #emergency #graphicdesign #logo #crackerbarrellogo #branding #trump

Feeling overwhelmed by the week ahead? Derek Imai offers four focus hacks to help achieve your productivity goals.

HUGE changes coming from Southwest Airlines! 

Ben & Raj ponder the question "Is Brand Dead?"

What is it like to work with a book designer for your first book’s cover?

Fruitful founder and designer Ben Lueders just wrote a book with the help of his creative kids! "Escape from Terikiak" is the first book in a new children’s adventure series, and geared toward kids ages 8-13 (although all ages enjoy it). Buy the book here: https://www.benlueders.com/book In this episode of Growing a Fruitful Brand, Raj interviews Ben about: ‍‍‍The process of writing a book with your kids The challenges and joys of creative collaboration When to make something for yourself and when to share it with others Why a Walrus drinking coffee was a great creative idea ️A crazy coincidence between Ben’s book and Treasure Island Which Ninja Turtle are you? How Ben’s book almost turned into Spy Kids 2

When your job is to be creative all the time, surrounding yourself with inspiring, creative tools becomes a big priority. In the latest episode of Growing a Fruitful Brand, Raj and Ben share each of their top five creative tools of the last year! From guitars and cameras, to fountain pens and automatic watches – there’s a lot of fun recommendations in this conversation!

What the heck have Raj and Ben been up to this year? It’s been a minute since the last Growing a Fruitful Brand podcast, but don’t worry – Fruitful is still staying busy! In this episode, Raj and Ben tell all about what they’ve been up to: A Fruitful update on their new 30 Day Brand Sprint product Raj wrote a book! The Caring House Ben wrote a book too! Escape from Terikiak Why designers should use Canva Why you should still hire an agency in 2025 Why Fruitful designs Keynote presentations Fruitful can help you design and distribute your book!

Raj interviews Darren Horwitz, founder of Ten Ten Group, about how major companies like American Airlines implement their brands into the smallest details such as cocktail napkins and PowerPoint decks. He emphasizes the importance of tying brand design to business strategy. Creating a positive brand experience for customers requires putting yourself in the customer's shoes and thinking about every interaction and touchpoint. Darren and Raj also discuss providing a good experience without going overboard. They give examples of how small details, such as the quality of a pen or the design of a folder, can impact the overall brand perception by creating consistency and trust at every step along the way.

Why does it seem so hard to build a social media following for my business? And why do I feel like I need one so much? At SXSW 2024, Jack Conte (founder of Patreon and the band Pomplamoose) gave a provocative talk called “The Death of the Follower & the Future of Creativity on the Web”. In his talk, Jack chronicles the history of social media, the magic of the “subscribe” button – and why everything suddenly feels different on social media now. His insights inspired this episode. Join Raj and Ben as they… Dismantle the myth of building a social media following, Reveal the truth about what you should be focusing on as a business Show how you can start to build a real community that actually drives sales! They also get into the rise of subscription platforms like Patreon and Substack – that enable “Super Fans” to support creators, in trade for exclusive content and community.

Chances are, you’re familiar with Liquid Death: the canned water that looks like a beer. Founded in 2018, this innovative young beverage company recently received a valuation of $1.4 Billion and has a larger social media following than all the other big water companies combined! How did they do it? Essentially, investing in unique design. In this episode, Raj and Ben explore why the harmony of beautiful elements is so appealing to humans, and how investing in good design can enhance the value and reputation of your brand. Don’t miss them diving into specific brands that use design and differentiation to boost their value. Brands mentioned: Liquid Death, Fellow, Anker, Stanley, Yeti, Southwest, Levi Strauss, Gap, Madewell, Old Navy, J.Crew, KIA, Hyundai. (Also, find out why Ben has a “cupholder expander”.)

Tune in to hear Ben and Raj tell the story of creating Raj’s new personal branding, and the branding for his publishing imprint, Lulla Publishing! Turns out that making a brand for a branding expert is quite the task. In this second part of their two-part conversation about Raj’s upcoming novel, The Caring House, Raj shares what it’s like to unleash such a personal work out into the world. At one point, he turns the conversation around to Ben, asking what it’s been like having an aspiring author for a business partner. The Caring House comes out on March 26th– but you can preorder it now on Amazon! All the royalties from preorder sales will be donated to The Sharing Place, the grief support center for children in Salt Lake City, UT that inspired the book.

Raj has some big news: he’s written a book! But it’s not a business book, it's a novel called The Caring House.  In the latest episode of Growing a Fruitful Brand, Raj gets into the nitty-gritty about writing his first novel – the challenges, the joys, and even some practical tips for pursuing your own creative passions outside of your day job. He also turns the interview around and questions Ben about being the business partner to an aspiring author – especially the author of a book that deals with (potentially) off-brand subject matter.  The Caring House comes out on March 26th– but you can preorder it now on Amazon! All the royalties from preorder sales will be donated to The Sharing Place, the grief support center for children in Salt Lake City, UT that inspired the book.

When a moving truck shows up in front of your office, everybody starts asking, “What’s going on at Fruitful?”   So here’s what’s going on: We’ve moved out of our downtown office ‍We have transitioned our team to 1099 (contracting) We are focusing exclusively on strategic branding and website projects In this episode we unpack these changes (and more) and get into the factors and decisions that led to them. Business owners often have to make difficult decisions for the health of their business. Raj and Ben share the inside-scoop behind their recent pivot – and where Fruitful is going in the future.

With The 30 Day Brand Sprint, you can become Fruitful’s exclusive branding client for 30 focused days. Creating a new brand and website at a traditional agency can often take 6–12 months of unfocused back and forth communication. This is because most agencies are balancing so many clients and projects at a time, so they have to rely on asynchronous communication and waste a lot of time simply waiting for client feedback and revisions. Fruitful is changing the traditional model. By focusing on each branding project one at a time, and relying on live feedback and approvals, Fruitful is able to create a custom visual brand, messaging strategy, and a dynamic website for you in 30 focused days. Raj and Ben would love the opportunity to work exclusively with you to transform your branding, messaging, and website in 30 days. Take our assessment today, to see if you qualify for Fruitful’s 30 Day Brand Sprint: www.fruitful.design/sprint

2024 is here! And so is the first episode of Growing a Fruitful Brand in the new year! Join Raj and Ben as they reflect on their 2023 marketing/business predictions from last year: https://youtu.be/DtmC1eMXVoM What did they get right? What did they miss? They also look ahead, delivering some fresh predictions for 2024. Anything you think they missed? Let us know!

Become Fruitful’s exclusive branding client for 30 focused days. Raj and Ben would love the opportunity to work exclusively with you to transform your branding, messaging, and website in 30 immersive days. By focusing on each client one at a time, we are able to create a custom visual brand, messaging strategy, and a dynamic website in a fraction of the time of a traditional agency.