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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown
@orbitstudios.bsky.social
5.3K followers 1.9K following 980 posts
Principal & Creative Director at Orbit Studios, cartoonist, sports fan and musical theatre director and performer.
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · 10d
Oh, so is this why Tim Houston was so hell bent on changing the coastline laws or whatever that was, last year?

Who, below the age of 60 is even golfing anymore?
minibubbly.bsky.social
Cheryl in Nova Scotia 🇨🇦🍁🍁 @minibubbly.bsky.social · 10d
This is protected land, we don't need another freaking golf course, stop trying to destroy Nova Scotia 🤬🤬

Golf course developer tees up another bid for West Mabou Crown land #NovaScotia

Cabot Golf is eyeing West Mabou Beach Provincial Park for possible development

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Golf course developer tees up another bid for West Mabou Crown land | CBC News
The company behind the Cabot Links and Cliffs golf courses is taking a third swing at a potential development that would include part of West Mabou Beach Provincial Park. That land is protected by law...
www.cbc.ca
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · 10d
Not parody.
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Reposted by David Brown
hotsahs.sahsi.net
Rupinder (Rup) Sahsi, MD 🧠💭 @hotsahs.sahsi.net · Jan 23
"We tend to think of misinformation as a universal problem, with all sides of the political spectrum equally guilty of bending the truth or spreading falsehoods. A new study shows otherwise."

Misinformation isn’t just a problem — it’s a political strategy.
New study shows radical-right populists are fueling a misinformation epidemic
Misinformation isn’t just a problem — it’s a political strategy.
www.zmescience.com
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Reposted by David Brown
chrisdornan.bsky.social
Christopher Dornan @chrisdornan.bsky.social · 19d
For someone who was supposedly at death’s door three weeks ago, Trump seems to be perfectly feisty and still bonkers beyond belief.
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · 20d
Micro Brands: sharp, specific, sometimes a little unhinged… and impossible to ignore

My new Substack series Tiny Giants kicks off today. First up: what these brands are, why they matter, and what they reveal about where design, trust, and culture are headed.

open.substack.com/pub/orbitstu...
Tiny Giants: The Rise of Micro Brands and Why You Should Care
They don’t look like legacy brands. They don’t act like legacy brands. But they’re quietly building cult followings, rewriting design rules — and stealing market share right out from under the big guy
open.substack.com
1
orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · 23d
Dave 1, Big NYC Ad Agency 0.

The latest instalment of Orbit30: open.substack.com/pub/orbitstu...
Orbit30: Dave 1, Desgrippes Gobé 0
How a turtle, some goodwill, and a little courage helped me beat Madison Avenue.
open.substack.com
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · 24d
My latest on Trajectory: another edition of Designing the Multiverse where I imagined Spotify in 1959.

What if your playlists came shipped in a box, pressed on vinyl?

open.substack.com/pub/orbitstu...
Designing the Multiverse: When Spotify Spun Wax
What if your playlists came pressed on vinyl, mailed in a box set, and spun on a teak hi-fi console?
open.substack.com
orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Sep 10
This new Department of War with a more aggressive POV (strike first, ask questions later) absolutely makes me believe Canada will be invaded in some form at some point.

Half the country (MAGA) believes we are responsible for the fentanyl crisis.

It’s coming. We’re going to be Ukraine’d.
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Sep 9
The latest instalment in my Orbit30 series where I look back at stories from my thirty years in the design biz:

That time I took down the big New York-based global agency...

orbitstudios.substack.com/p/orbit30-da...
Orbit30: Dave 1, Desgrippes Gobé 0
How a turtle, some goodwill, and a little courage helped me beat Madison Avenue.
orbitstudios.substack.com
orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Sep 8
New from Trajectory: How a turtle, some goodwill and a little courage helped me beat Madison Avenue.

open.substack.com/pub/orbitstu...
Orbit30: Dave 1, Desgrippes Gobé 0
How a turtle, some goodwill, and a little courage helped me beat Madison Avenue.
open.substack.com
orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Sep 2
Doggo at work with me today. She’s resting now after terrorizing people and other dogs earlier upon her arrival and marking my cubicle for protection.
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Aug 30
In a world of AI‑polished perfection, human-made marks are the new flex. A look at why sketchy, scribbly, hand-drawn design isn’t just charming — it’s strategic.

orbitstudios.substack.com/p/handdrawn-...
Hand‑Drawn = High‑Tech: Why Imperfection Is the Ultimate Design Signal
In a world of AI‑polished perfection, human-made marks are the new flex. A look at why sketchy, scribbly, hand-drawn design isn’t just charming — it’s strategic.
orbitstudios.substack.com
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Aug 30
What happens when the left borrows the playbook of populism — and hands it to a designer?

orbitstudios.substack.com/p/designing-...
Designing the Revolution: How Zohran Mamdani’s Mayoral Campaign Turned Political Branding on Its Head
What happens when the left borrows the playbook of populism — and hands it to a designer?
orbitstudios.substack.com
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Aug 30
What if Sweden’s flat-pack furniture empire was directed by the king of cinematic symmetry?

orbitstudios.substack.com/p/designing-...
Designing the Multiverse: IKEA by Wes Anderson
What if Sweden’s flat-pack furniture empire was directed by the king of cinematic symmetry?
orbitstudios.substack.com
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Aug 30
In the latest instalment of #DesignNova, I looked at how a quick sketch became the emotional heartbeat of a city.

open.substack.com/pub/orbitstu...
DesignNova: I ♥ NY
How a quick sketch in a cab became the emotional signature of a city.
open.substack.com
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Aug 29
From taxi sketch to global icon. 🗽❤️

New #DesignNova: The story of I ♥ NY and how Milton Glaser turned a doodle into one of the most powerful logos of all time.

open.substack.com/pub/orbitstu...
DesignNova: I ♥ NY
How a quick sketch in a cab became the emotional signature of a city.
open.substack.com
1
orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Aug 29
Yes, I know they caved and went back to the original. But rebrands aren't "woke", people.

orbitstudios.substack.com/p/rapid-reac...
Rapid Reaction: Cracker Barrel’s Logo Facelift—Not Woke, Just Wise
How a brand steeped in nostalgia smartly (and controversially) shed its mascot for legibility, strategy, and modernity—while MAGA lost the plot.
orbitstudios.substack.com
orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Aug 27
Rebrands can be good, bad and ugly.

But they're not "woke."

Knock it off, MAGA chuds.

orbitstudios.substack.com/p/rapid-reac...
Rapid Reaction: Cracker Barrel’s Logo Facelift—Not Woke, Just Wise
How a brand steeped in nostalgia smartly (and controversially) shed its mascot for legibility, strategy, and modernity—while MAGA lost the plot.
orbitstudios.substack.com
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Aug 27
The wordmark itself is quite nice actually.
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Aug 27
But MAGA ain't smart.

Seriously though: you go with the simpler logo because it can stand out on their rich food products and contrast a rich restaurant/store interior.

I think people hated the restaurant re-design and are lashing out against the logo now, unfairly.
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Aug 27
Yup. As I detailed, it was smart to try to appeal to younger customers but also make it more legible for their 70s-80s target, honestly. Line illustrations are hard to reproduce cleanly in embroidery, on packaging, digital, etc., so this made complete sense and was the smart approach.
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Aug 27
Yup, they'll stick with the unreadable yellow blob on that sign...
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Reposted by David Brown
johnroscoe.bsky.social
John Roscoe @johnroscoe.bsky.social · Aug 27
"[public address mounted on cop car] Relax, everybody. The disaster is over: Cracker Barrel has caved. Return to your homes."
kare11.bsky.social
KARE 11 @kare11.bsky.social · Aug 26
The reversal comes after Cracker Barrel unveiled a text-only logo design that received fierce backlash on social media.
Cracker Barrel ditches new logo: 'We said we would listen'
The reversal comes after Cracker Barrel unveiled a text-only logo design that received fierce backlash on social media.
www.kare11.com
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orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Aug 26
Cracker Barrel’s new logo isn’t “woke.”

It’s just good design—cleaner, clearer, and smarter strategy.

My Rapid Reaction: orbitstudios.substack.com/p/rapid-reac...
Rapid Reaction: Cracker Barrel’s Logo Facelift—Not Woke, Just Wise
How a brand steeped in nostalgia smartly (and controversially) shed its mascot for legibility, strategy, and modernity—while MAGA lost the plot.
orbitstudios.substack.com
2 4
orbitstudios.bsky.social
David Brown @orbitstudios.bsky.social · Aug 15
In a world of sterile vectors, it’s the imperfect sketches—like Mailchimp’s doodles and Dropbox’s rough icons—that feel real. Emotional design > high polish.

Explore why:

orbitstudios.substack.com/p/handdrawn-...
Hand‑Drawn = High‑Tech: Why Imperfection Is the Ultimate Design Signal
In a world of AI‑polished perfection, human-made marks are the new flex. A look at why sketchy, scribbly, hand-drawn design isn’t just charming — it’s strategic.
orbitstudios.substack.com
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