2025 Brand New Conference: Phire Group’s Insights
TL;DR
Great brands are built as systems — and the strongest identities embrace flexibility, creative risk, human intuition, and moments of surprise to stay relevant in fast-moving digital spaces.
- Posted on
- Mar 3, 2026
- Read time
- 3 min
Our Design team came together in person to virtually attend the 2025 Brand New Conference. These are the ideas that challenged us.
Embracing Systems
Branding is shifting from rigid consistency to dynamic systems. While core systems rely on fixed elements, dynamic systems adapt across platforms using motion, interaction, and flexibility.
Use this insight for your brand: Define the core system and dynamic system individually. Stay consistent and build discipline for the best results.
Risk = Range
Taking creative risks expands what a brand can be. One standout example from the conference: a team that took on interior design for Chicken Shack, even with no previous experience. Growth comes from trying.
Use this insight for your brand: Try strategic risks to unlock unexpected opportunities and more dimensional brand experiences.
You Need Moves
Brands own moves like layouts, patterns, motion, illustration, actions, and AI tools. They can all work together to create something dynamic and recognizable.
Use this insight for your brand: Create individual “moves” and try to use them during every brand project. See which ones work best together for powerful results.
License to Try
The best work happens when creatives are empowered to experiment in-house. Progress depends on giving teams room to try new things and stretch beyond what’s familiar.
Use this insight for your brand: Find an agency that doesn’t outsource its work. Build trust in your agency partnerships and give creatives the freedom to dare.
Where Is the Wink?
Inspired by Mailchimp’s winking monkey. Every brand needs a moment of cleverness or humanity. Whether subtle or bold, a “wink” tells a story and reminds audiences that there are people behind the brand.
Use this insight for your brand: Embrace quirkiness. Create moments that feel authentically infused with on-brand personality.
Creativity Is Contradiction
In an era of “good enough,” exceptional brands choose originality over efficiency. New ideas come from contradiction, not optimization.
Use this insight for your brand: Slow down. As other marketing leaders feel the need to try every new tool, find success in the deliberate process of exceptional creative work.
Human Intuition Must Lead
Tools and data support the work — but human intuition drives it. Great design starts with feeling, experience, and instinct.
Use this insight for your brand: Connect with real people to get feedback on your brand. Does it resonate on an emotional level?
Find the Universal in the Particular
The most powerful brands feel specific yet universally relatable. Nuance creates connection.
Use this insight for your brand: Use mood boards. What is the vibe of your brand? Which brands inspire you through immediate recognition?
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