Podcast Episode โ Origin story of UnitedUs with Jan Rust
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We met to have a conversation about brand storytelling and Jan shared the origin story of UnitedUs
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Jan is one of the creators of UnitedUs a Brighton based brand agency
I first met Jan in 2022. I was in awe of the high quality brand identities UnitedUs had created and reached out
We explored the art of brand storytelling within larger companies flowing into the story of UnitedUs and the importance of relationships within creating authentic brands
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๐ข๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ๐จ๐ โ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐
Founded in 2012. UnitedUs started out as a partnership between Jan and Luke Taylor
Started with a spontaneous coffee. Spiralled into them talking about print & digital. Jan more digital and Luke more print they started collaborating on projects. Turning it into a company born as PixaDot. Evolving into a more strategic brand agency rebranding as UnitedUs
Now helping clients uncover their unique visual identities by first unpacking the story they want to tell aligning it with their business goals
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๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ โ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐นโ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐๐ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Over the years people have come and gone but UnitedUs has maintained it's core. Jan shares how they have kept the culture authentic and not forced
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๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Jan shares how each client is different but the fundamental process stays the same. Asking who are they? What makes them tick? Why do they exist? understanding what will make them different. Taking note then amplifying it through creative ways such visual identity or written word etc
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โ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐โ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ๐จ๐
We go into the strong sense of family at UnitedUs. The studio feeling like family home. Clients feeling like in-laws. Jan shares how they navigate together towards a shared purpose with similar values
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๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ
Jan shares how they facilitate giving everyone a voice when working on a wider company level brand project then weave it together to create a โhookโ
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๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ
Jan shares how creativity is not just all out expression. The team having a level of confidence & maturity knowing they are paid to create value for clients. Deadlines creating guard rails helping to focus. Creativity thriving unlocking challenges togetherย
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๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Beyond branding Jan shares how they are leaning into the role as a socially conscious agency and working with students navigating challenges like getting into the industry with the rise of AI
Ultimately with the mission to be a good influence and a force for good
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Thank you Jan for sharing the story of UnitedUs and how you create brands for larger companies that authentically connectย with their audience
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Check out UnitedUs โ unitedus.co.uk
