COLLECTIVE. IS COMING TO CHESTERFIELD

If you work in the creative, digital or tech space – if you make things, design things, code things, write things, teach things, or think about the ideas shaping culture and technology … this room is for you.

We bring together practitioners, freelancers, studio teams, students, academics, early-stage founders and people exploring new ideas. If curiosity is your thing, you belong here.

Join Andy Cogdon, Branding Optimist & your fellow COLLECTIVE. community for Branding Revival, a talk about why character, confidence and distinctiveness are making a comeback in branding and why authentic identity matters more than ever.

Over the past few years, many brands have simplified themselves to the point of looking and sounding the same. In trying to be clean, minimal and modern for a digital age, much of the personality, heritage and craft that once made brands distinctive has been lost.

We’re now starting to see a shift. Brands are rediscovering who they really are, where they came from, what they stand for and why they exist. In this session, Andy explores why this change is happening, what it reveals about the true purpose of branding, and why strong, authentic identities are becoming increasingly important.

Most importantly, this talk is a reminder that branding isn’t just about logos or aesthetics. It’s about meaning, belief and creating brands that people feel connected to – brands they’re proud to belong to.

As a start-of-year session, it’s a timely way to kick-start 2026, offering practical insight into how brands can sharpen their identity, build confidence and stand out more clearly in a crowded digital landscape.

Andy helps ambitious businesses build brands that stand out, connect deeply with their audience and inspire confidence. With over 20 years’ experience across branding, design and strategy, he specialises in turning complex ideas into clear, compelling brand stories.

This free-to-attend event is supported by Create Growth D2 Hub.

The Create Growth D2 Hub is run by the University of Derby, Derby City Council, and Derbyshire County Council, with funding from DCMS.