Orbit Studios

09/03/2026

We spend a lot of time asking AI to make creative work easier.

Maybe we should ask it to make things harder once in a while.

Instead of asking for another idea, another draft or another answer, try asking AI to challenge the one you already have.

Find the holes. Be the skeptical client. Make the strongest case against it. Ask the question you're hoping nobody asks.

Because sometimes the most useful creative partner isn't the one that agrees with you. It's the one that gives you something worth reacting to.

New in Trajectory: AI Is Better When It Pushes Back

We keep asking AI to make creative work easier. Sometimes what we really need is resistance.

08/19/2026

Sometimes the most interesting career paths aren't straight lines.

They loop back on themselves.

This fall brings a return to the classroom, a major milestone for a long-running creative project, another musical production, and a growing fascination with how people learn, lead, and create.

In the latest edition of The Dispatch, I share a few of the threads currently shaping the next chapter of my creative journey.

Read more in Trajectory.

https://orbitstudios.substack.com/p/the-dispatch-new-classrooms-new-stages?r=ggx6w&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

06/11/2026

The IBM logo isn't famous because of the stripes.

It's famous because those stripes represent something bigger: a design system built to work across an entire global organization.

In this edition of DesignNova, we look at how one of the world's most recognizable identities became a masterclass in systems thinking.

https://orbitstudios.substack.com/p/designnova-the-stripes-that-humanized?r=ggx6w

06/09/2026

A&W didn't just launch a smash burger.

They took one simple product idea and stretched it across an entire experience, from the restaurant itself to the signage, packaging, and even the root b**r mugs.

That's what happens when an idea escapes the ad.

🍔 New on Trajectory:

The best campaigns don't just communicate a product benefit. They build an entire world around it.

05/15/2026

Crackling fires, cold drinks and good company. There's nothing quite like the first long weekend of the season.

Whether you're lakeside, roadside or just backyard-bound, here's to a well-earned pause and a proper start to the summer.

Happy Victoria Day weekend from Orbit! 🍻

05/12/2026

A week later, one thing from the Learning Technologies Conference in London keeps sticking with us:

The real challenge isn’t creating more content anymore.

It’s creating learning experiences that actually connect with people.

We wrapped up our final reflection piece from the conference here — covering AI, engagement, experience design, and the growing importance of the human side of learning:

👇
https://open.substack.com/pub/orbitstudios/p/designing-for-real-people?r=ggx6w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

05/05/2026

Some brands succeed because of bold flair. Others succeed because they structure themselves so well that the audience never questions them.

The BBC belongs to the latter.

🇬🇧 The latest instalment of is live:

https://orbitstudios.substack.com/p/designnova-the-bbc-and-the-grid-that

04/07/2026

Some logos identify. Others guide.

A rare few shape the way an entire city moves.

🚇 https://open.substack.com/pub/orbitstudios/p/designnova-the-roundel-that-organized?r=ggx6w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Subscribe to Trajectory for insights on branding, design systems, creative strategy and more.

04/06/2026

The Tennessee Titans rebrand pulls them out of the uniform wilderness by going back to the Houston Oilers well (see what I did there?).

🏈 https://open.substack.com/pub/orbitstudios/p/rapid-reaction-a-better-titans-uniform?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Subscribe to Trajectory for insights on branding, design systems, creative strategy and more.

A long-overdue reset brings back one of football’s best colour stories… even if the ex*****on doesn’t fully stick the landing.

04/02/2026

Sprite's brand refresh feels less like reinvention and more like rediscovery.

Instead of pushing further into modern sameness, Sprite has done something much smarter: it went back to what made it distinctive in the first place.

🍋🍋‍🟩 https://open.substack.com/pub/orbitstudios/p/rapid-reactions-sprite-finds-its?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Subscribe to Trajectory for insights on branding, design systems, creative strategy and more.

A nostalgic reset that proves sometimes the smartest move forward is a step back to what made you iconic.