The Business of Design Systems and Standards w/ Jesse Reed | Ep 410

The Futur with Chris Do

The Futur

Arts, Education, Marketing, Design, Business, Self-improvement

4.9 • 998 Ratings

🗓️ 8 January 2026

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, Chris Do sits down with designer, publisher, and entrepreneur Jesse Reed to explore the intersection of design systems, business, and long-term creative impact. Jesse shares his journey from Pentagram to co-founding multiple ventures, including Standards Manual, Order, and Standards, and explains how each evolved from curiosity-driven projects into sustainable businesses. The conversation highlights the importance of focus, simplicity, and decision-making in both design and entrepreneurship, especially when building systems meant to scale across teams and industries. Throughout the discussion, Jesse emphasizes that timeless design principles—typography, structure, consistency—remain unchanged even as tools and platforms evolve. Timestamps (00:00) — Intro (06:45) — Founding Standards Manual (13:30) — Crowdfunding lessons learned (20:10) — Balancing multiple companies (27:05) — Focus versus simplicity (33:50) — Business models in design (40:20) — Brand guidelines evolution (46:55) — Emotional branding shift (53:30) — Rebrand backlash explained (01:00:05) — Criticism and creative success (01:06:10) — Collaboration over competition Check out today's guest, Jesse Reed: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-reed-108b9614 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jrfo/?hl=en Check out The Futur: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thefutur.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Courses: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thefutur.com/shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Linkedin: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-futur/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thefutur.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefuturishere/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/theFuturisHere/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/thefuturishere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@thefuturishere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/thefuturishere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out Chris Do: LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/thechrisdo/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BizOfDesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/thechrisdo/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://x.com/thechrisdo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@thechrisdo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Threads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@thechrisdo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Behance: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.behance.net/chrisdo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You may not be as of a design geek as the both of us are.
0:04.6	Stick around because I want to talk about what Jesse has learned about studying
0:08.5	standards manuals and understanding what timeless design looks like and what he thinks of in the future for brands.
0:16.1	I'm Jesse Reed and you're listening to the future.
0:21.6	I hold in my hand, or hands, this book. And as you can see before, you, behind me all around,
0:28.9	I'm a lover of books and tangible things. As we live in the digital age, I think there's this
0:33.5	nostalgic component that I have about books. And this is just one of the many that I have
0:38.2	from you, or one of the few, I should say. And this is all about the New York City Transit Authority and
0:42.7	the Objects. And I believe I was able to purchase this during some kind of crowdfunding thing
0:49.7	when I was able to get in on it, because that's how I first got into the rapid hole of what you do.
0:53.8	Or did I imagine that?
0:55.5	That particular book was not crowdfunded.
0:59.8	It was a different one, right?
1:01.3	Yeah, we did three.
1:04.1	NASA, right?
1:05.5	Yeah, so NASA, the NYCTA, which is the New York City Transit Authority book, and then the EPA book, those were all
1:14.4	crowdfunded on Kickstarter. And we were fortunate enough, like that one that you're holding,
1:19.7	was the one that we published on our own once we sort of became a bit of a grown-up company.
1:25.0	So I can't remember how I came upon your books and your ideas before I actually even knew who you were. I have all four, I believe, and I was looking through the house desperately. Like, where is it? Half the books are at the office, the other half of the house. Luckily, I have one so I can show our audience. We don't always have props I can hold up here. So what I'm going to describe to our audience who are listening to this on the pod is,
1:46.5	I think beautiful, straightforward flat lays or documents, tickets, all kinds of objects.
1:54.4	And they can be works of art themselves as still lifes or ready made, just objects that you
1:59.7	can find.
	...

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