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Jack Cousins - Journalist and Editor


A selection of my work:

Transform magazine •

Parkinson’s UK rebranded to better reflect community needs

From there, it was felt a new brand symbol was required to raise greater awareness. This was achieved through the adoption of the Parkinson’s tulip, which has been an internationally recognised symbol for the condition since 2005.  
Other additions included Parknisans, the charity’s very own, open-source typeface. Designed with accessibility in mind, the font takes cues from the new logo, and hopes to offer a human touch. This is backed up by an energetic, gutsy tone of voice, a flexible colour...
Transform magazine •

Vietnamese sneaker brand redesign champions nation’s cultural heritage

The updated logo symbolises freedom and progress through the use of an abstract bird located in the top right of the design. Highly flexible and adaptable, the ‘H’ mark was designed to offer a powerful representation of the brand’s spirit. Meanwhile, its two strokes, which mimic two legs, reflect the foundational idea of ‘Embracing Vietnamese Feet.’ Overall, the design seeks to inspire the next generation and push for greater recognition across sneaker categories.
The new typefaces seek to evoke...
Transform magazine •

Revised Walmart brand embraces evolution and legacy

In a bid to better mirror the changing needs and wants of its customers, Walmart’s latest brand update includes alterations to its iconic logo. Now brighter thanks to its True Blue and Spark Yellow colour palette, it is also accompanied by a revised wordmark that is inspired by the classic trucker hat worn by its founder, Sam Walton, that aims to help the brand achieve greater standout.
Emphasis was placed on cultivating greater energy throughout the entire brand, including its digital-first ser...
Transform magazine •

Wolff Olins evolves visual identity for Caribbean vacation brands

The project also sought to bring the Sandals and Beaches brands, which specialise in adult-only and family experiences respectively, together by uniting key visual assets including the colour palette, typography and graphic language. Inspired by the brand ethos of ‘Natural Vibrancy’, the Beaches logo was even altered such that is more closely resembles Sandals’.  






Thomas Wilder, global principal for Wolff Olins,...
Transform magazine •

MotoGP repositions itself as a digital-first, global entertainment brand

Pentagram teamed up with type foundry F37 to devise a new typeface, which is inspired by the logo itself, and incorporates characters that inject energy into the brand. On the other hand, the muted colour palette deliberately takes a back seat, allowing the colours of teams, sponsors and the tracks to stand out instead.
Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports, says, “The key question throughout has been, ‘What is MotoGP?’, both now and looking forward to who we want to be, and...
Transform magazine •

The Scoop with Emma Overeem

Transform: What is distinctive about Living Group compared to other design agencies you’ve worked at?
Emma: Living’s proposition is all about Creating Difference, which is achieved through great teamwork, and great clients, who understand the power of brand and digital transformation. 
Having been with Living for roughly 14 years, I’ve seen the agency adapt, change and grow. With ambitious founders at the helm who value creativity and building strong client relationships, it’s a challenging and...
Transform magazine •

Postcard from Cairo

What would you say is distinctive about brand design in Egypt?
Egypt holds unique characteristics that shape its brand design industry. Thanks to geolocation and multicultural effects, Egyptian brands have access to limitless, innovative, cultural design that shapes global insights. 
Egyptian branding design revolves around the function of the product or services and seeking a strategy for brand purpose, promise and values for brand language. 
Egypt has the opportunity to play a role model for m...
Transform magazine •

Global sonic branding agency Sixième Son unveils soulful identity redesign

Founded in 1995, the branding and music production agency has since gone on to craft sonic identities, audio logos and sound design solutions for over 600 brands around the world. Its impressive roster of clients ranges from the likes of French pharmaceutical Sanofi to world-renowned football club FC Barcelona.






The identity update sought to underline Sixième Son’s knack for evolving with its clients and the indus...
Transform magazine •

Cause correction: How charities rebrand to empower and inspire

Once a barren desert for all things ‘brand’ related, the third sector has blossomed to life in recent years, and perhaps this is nowhere truer than in the UK. This may seem totally paradoxical given the nation is facing the brunt of a cost-of-living crisis. If inflation outstrips pay increases, we should expect to see donations to causes drop off. But the UK has seen the inverse happen, with a record £13.9bn donated by the general public to charities in 2023 (a 9% increase from the year prior),...
Transform magazine •

Indigenous Pact redesigned to improve Native Americans’ health outcomes

The model, which was created in collaboration with tribal leaders, hopes to provide on-demand medical resources for US natives. By providing tools, technology and personalised, direct care, Indigenous Pact hopes to fight back against what it claims to be ‘underfunding’ by the wider healthcare sector at the expense of native communities.
By working closely with Aimee Brenkus, Indigenous Pact’s co-founder and an Oneida tribe member, Elmwood hoped to ensure authenticity in its design. The design ag...
Transform magazine •

Middle Eastern fit-out contractor Havelock One reveals updated brand identity

This is reflected in the new visual identity – from wordmark to colour palette – and hopes to capture the perceived calibre of Havelock One’s operations. Rogue was also responsible for developing a comprehensive brand toolkit that provides guidelines across digital and print assets.
Robert Durrant, creative partner at Rogue, says, “From the outset, we knew we wanted to develop something that honoured the legacy of their existing brand equity while also propelling them forward with a bold, modern...
Transform magazine •

VetPartners rebrand aims to evoke integrity and excellence

The independent branding and design agency was responsible for crafting core logo assets, brand guidelines and supporting the brand rollout itself. VetPartners’ revised identity aims to strike a balance between professionalism and dynamism, and was informed by intentions to make the brand a ‘movement for vets and pets’. In doing so, the rebrand hopes to elicit a sense of integrity, excellence, community and care.
Carolyn Pitt, client strategy director at Hulsbosch, says, “We designed the new Vet...
Transform magazine •

London calling: English capital named world’s best city brand

The Brand Finance Global City Index surveys the views of over 15,000 members of the public across 20 countries to determine perceptions of the world’s top 100 city brands. Cities with higher rankings indicate they are better places to live, work, visit and invest in.
The inaugural 2023 Index also placed London first, with the English capital scoring very high on metrics including ‘Familiarity’, ‘Culture & Heritage’ and ‘Education & Science.’ New York and Paris completed the top three, which has...
Transform magazine •

Five minutes with Emma Baines

You worked for a number of design agencies over the years before making the switch in-house to HelloFresh in 2019, and then Tony’s a few years later. What do you enjoy most about the in-house life?
I love in-house because you can really focus on one brand. There's pros and cons to both, but what I love is the people. You are all behind one brand. And in this case now, one mission. It's the reason we come to work every day. You can go so, so deep into that. I think what was really interesting was...
Transform magazine •

Beyond the tech suffix

Technology-based brands, or indeed brands using tech to branch out their business offerings, are faced with great opportunities, but also face great challenges when communicating this change to stakeholders. Transform magazine was joined by brand, marketing and comms experts hailing from a wide range of organisations – including the likes of Airwallet, BT Group, LexisNexis and UK Power Networks – to discuss their perspectives at a recent breakfast session held with brand consultancy Brandpie.
Fr...
Transform magazine •

London creative consultancy crafts fictional product to spark stem cell debate

The project follows on from advancements in science that allow for stem cells to create 3D models of human tissues and organs. From there, models resembling human embryos, organs, sperm, eggs and placentas can be made.
This work by London-based The Liminal Space encourages the public to think about the implications of developing human life through this technology rather than the natural method of egg and sperm.






T...
Transform magazine •

Five minutes with M — N Associates

Tell me about the design scene in Vietnam. How does it differ there compared to other countries around the world, and maybe Asian countries in particular?
Lan: I think that the design scene in Vietnam is quite new – maybe around 15 years old. So it's quite new to all of us, especially in branding, I think. Also, our culture is not like the other countries around us; Singapore is quite modern and disciplined, for instance.
Duy: Vietnamese people tend to live more by habits. So it's more about th...
Transform magazine •

The Scoop with Jason Brown

Transform: What was it about Pearlfisher that enticed you to make the switch? 
Jason: My affinity for the brand was already there, which speaks to the true character and quality of who Pearflisher is – responsible for producing industry-leading, value-creating work for more than three decades, but meeting founders Mike Branson and Jonno Ford and hearing directly from them what their vision was from the outset – along with that of late co-founder, Karen Welman – made for an incredible process. T...
Transform magazine •

Postcard from Zagreb

Tell me about Fabular and how it differs from other brand agencies in Zagreb.
I would say that we are a great group of friends firstly because we have been working together for more than 15 years. Fabular has its own brand methodology for creating strong brands and this has been the backbone of our work. We have been awarded international awards for brand strategy, naming and visual identity.
 
Zagreb is known for its colourful architecture, pleasant parks and vibrant city centre. Which parts of...
Transform magazine •

Sensing change: How and why brand design is set to become multisensorial

At a distance, the John Lewis & Partners in Horsham, southern England might be indistinguishable from any of its other 33 department stores up and down the UK. But get a little closer and you’ll find an enticing, sleek space that was recently the subject of a multi-million-pound makeover. The ambitious move might well reflect the beginnings of a revolutionary shift in how the iconic brand wants to interact with its audience.  
Upon entering the store, you are greeted by a deluge of activity that...
Transform magazine •

Five minutes with Paul Silcox

Tell me about the importance of crafting high-quality brand experiences, and how this can lead to companies forging deeper emotional connections with their audiences.
Brand-led experiences are the fabric of what defines a brand’s reputation and relationship with their audiences. They are a pivotal way of making brands tangible and generating sustained success.
Whether the desired role of any given experience is to inspire trust, provide some unexpected inspiration or be inherently useful, the ap...
Transform magazine •

The house always wins: the rise of internalised creative

The late 2000s provided the perfect storm necessary to disrupt the relationship between brands and the people who meet their creative needs. First, the 2007-2008 financial crisis shocked global corporations and had a huge impact on their psyche regarding costs. Combine this with a second world-changing phenomenon – the advent of the iPhone, ushering in the age of social media – and multinationals were capable of connecting with consumers everywhere at every moment. They began to question where t...
Transform magazine •

Top of the pop-ups: How captivating brand experiences are designed in retail

But there are maintenance challenges to consider with the kind of pop-ups that require the brand’s more experienced staff on-site for long periods, like Beauty Pie’s. “Often for beauty, there's a lot of product knowledge and experience required on-site,” Barnes explains. “If you're working across 15 to 20 products in a pop-up, it's quite hard to impart that kind of information and passion into a promotional member of staff and taking experts out of the business for a long period of time is quite...
Transform magazine •

The Scoop with Christian Schroeder

Transform: Congratulations on your recent appointment as global president. It’s been nearly 25 years since you first joined the company, how has it changed in that time?
Christian: I would say that it is unrecognisable on many levels. I think the company that I joined all those years ago was a design agency that was starting to become a branding agency. We still had very clear practices in terms of corporate clients and packaging clients, but now it's a globally-integrated, brand-led design and...
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