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The Crazy OneAuthor: Stephen Gates
The Crazy One is an award-winning podcast for creatives, leaders, and anyone who refuses to settle. Hosted by renowned designer and global design leader Stephen Gates, this show delivers unfiltered honesty, actionable insights, and hard-won wisdom to help you grow your creativity, lead with confidence, and build a meaningful career.With over two decades leading world-class design teams at companies like InVision, Citi, Starwood Hotels, WW, and McCann Erickson, Stephen has built brands and digital experiences for clients including Disney, American Airlines, W Hotels, Verizon, Acura, and more work thats earned over 150 international awards and has been featured by Apple in 10 keynotes, 4 commercials, and the Human Interface Guidelines.Now as the founder of CRZY, an independent strategy and design studio, hes helping companies find bold new visions for their brands, experiences, and creative futures. Through The Crazy One, he shares everything hes learned along the way from integrating behavioral science with human-centered design to navigating imposter syndrome to building a career and creative life on your own terms.With over 100 episodes and a loyal global audience, The Crazy One has been named: Webby Award Honoree for Best Technology Podcast #1 Podcast by Inside Design, HOW Design Live, and Springboard 5-star rated across every iTunes Store worldwideThis is more than a design podcast. Its a wake-up call. A masterclass. A real-talk guide for finding your voice, owning your crazy, and changing the game.No BS. No buzzwords. Just real insights from someone whos been there. Language: en Genres: Arts, Business, Careers, Design Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Ep 152 Tough Topics: Your Brand Isn't the Logo. It's the Standard Behind It.
Episode 152
Thursday, 10 September, 2026
AI has made speed nearly free, and brands are taking full advantage — shipping faster, cutting corners, calling it efficiency. But speed was never what customers were buying. Trust was. And trust doesn't erode all at once — it erodes the first time nobody in the room says "this isn't good enough," and every time after that gets easier.Stephen breaks down how cutting corners in the name of speed is quietly costing brands the one thing they can't buy back — internal and external authority — and why almost nobody making these decisions right now will be around when the real cost comes due.This one's for any leader who's told themselves "good enough" is a temporary compromise, not a new standard.In this episode:The Buc-ee's story: aggressive trademark lawsuits vs. sloppy AI-generated brand art in their own storesWhy "cheap" is a standards problem, not a price problemSpeed to ship vs. speed to matter — and how AI removed the friction that used to be an accidental quality gatePlausible Noise at the brand level: when "almost right" starts showing up on packaging, signage, and customer-facing workWhy authority — internal and external — doesn't survive contradictionWhat to actually do about it: the review standard every brand needs before AI touches anything customer-facingSend us Fan MailSHOW NOTES AND MORE: https://thecrazy1.com/ WATCH MORE CONTENT ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@StephenGates WORK WITH CRZY: http://crzydesign.com/ FOLLOW THE CRAZY ONE: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook
