The future of branding is honest, emotive and human: An interview with Horrible Brands.

With Kris Byers and Aidan Harbinson

"Brand activism isn’t about adding a rainbow to your logo in June or posting a black square on Instagram. It’s about committing to something bigger than yourself and being ready to do the hard work behind the scenes. "

Kris Byers and Aidan Harbinson are the founders of Horrible Brands: a strategy-led branding and digital agency specialising in emotionally intelligent design. With over 35 years’ combined experience working with global clients, they believe brands shouldn’t just look good, but feel good and connect on a human level. The Industry Leaders caught up with Kris and Aidan to find out what sets Horrible Brands apart from the rest of the branding world, and explore how in a world of AI, branding can retain the human touch.

What is Horrible Brands and how did it come about?

Kris: Horrible Brands was born out of frustration, but also a sense of optimism. I’d spent years working in agencies where brand was treated like an afterthought, being squeezed in at the last minute or dressed up with empty jargon. I just knew there had to be a better way. I decided to take on a one-year mentorship programme designed for small agencies and flew to New York for a week. I came back completely re-energised with the idea of building a different kind of agency. One where brand wasn’t just a logo, but the heartbeat of everything we did. I called Aidan (who had moved on from his previous role as a Technical Director not long before that), more to tell him what I was up to. He got really excited too and so we met up for a coffee. By the end of that meeting, we knew we had something really strong…

Aidan: I can still remember the call and then the meeting we had with vivid detail. It was the moment everything shifted! At the time, I was in a corporate programme manager role with a brilliant team and 150+ in-flight projects on the go at any given time. But I felt stuck, constantly putting out fires and with no real creative output. Kris was always one of the very best people to work with in my ad agency days, and hearing his passion for a disruptive, story-first model just lit a fire in me. We talked just for a couple of hours and, by the end of that meeting, we actually shook hands on a deal in principle. It sounds dramatic, but that one meeting genuinely changed the course of my life.

Kris: We both felt strongly that the industry had become too focused on surface-level polish and trying to look cool, instead of being real. Horrible Brands exists to do the opposite. We help businesses find truth at the core of what they do and express it with personality. Everything is brand-led, emotionally intelligent and grounded in strategy.

Aidan: And we mean every word of that. I had seen, first-hand, how much bloat can exist in an agency and how it affects the value the client sees. We wanted to do something brave and give our clients a way to connect to their target audience on a deeper level. Even the name — Horrible Brands — is a bit of a litmus test. It provokes, but it also invites curiosity and, if you’re uncomfortable with it, we’re probably not the agency for you. But if it makes you smile, we’re off to a good start. We’re here to help good people build bold, believable brands and have some fun while doing it.

Kris Byers and Aidan Harbinson are the founders of Horrible Brands

 

What unique talents do each of you bring to the company?

Aidan: We’re very different people, but for me, that’s in a good thing. I’m all about structure and clarity, strategic thinking. My background is in technical project management as well as brand and marketing, so I tend to focus on helping clients get from “what are we doing?” to “this is exactly who we are and how we’re going to show up.” I’m quite geeky at heart. I love coming up with technical solutions and I get a real kick out of taking ideas from complexity to simplicity. A client once said I bring calmness to the chaos, and I’ll take that.

Kris: And I bring the chaos back! But in a good way too. I’ve always been led by emotion. For me, great design is about making people feel something and not just making it look nice. I’ve been in branding, UX and creative direction for 25+ years, and I still get excited by that moment when a client sees themselves clearly for the first time. I’ll usually be the one pushing for bolder visuals, more unusual ideas and more edge, but it’s always in service of the brand’s true message.

Aidan: There’s also real trust between us, which allows us to challenge each other. We rarely approach a problem the same way, but the result is always better when we both get our hands on it. I think clients can feel that energy too. We’re not just handing over a visual concept, but building a brand that can grow with them.

Kris: Exactly. And because we’ve both sat on the other side — agency, client, in-house, delivery — we’ve got a lot of empathy for the kind of pressure clients can be under. We don’t try to impress anyone with fancy slides or vague talk. We just get to the heart of what matters, then help our clients tell their story with confidence.

As consumers increasingly expect brands to take a stance on social and political issues, how can companies navigate the delicate balance between authentic brand activism and performative allyship?

Kris: It starts with honesty. Audiences are sharper than ever and they can spot a half-hearted statement or a bandwagon move a mile off. If you’re going to speak up on an issue, it has to come from a place of genuine alignment. That means looking inward first. What do you believe in? What are you already doing? Are you prepared to take action, even when nobody’s watching?

Aidan: Brand activism isn’t about adding a rainbow to your logo in June or posting a black square on Instagram. It’s about committing to something bigger than yourself and being ready to do the hard work behind the scenes. When the conversation turns towards getting involved in social or political issues, we often ask clients: is this a value you’re willing to defend even if it costs you something? If the answer’s no and you’re not prepared to die on that hill, it’s probably not the right hill to be on.

Kris: We also encourage brands to be specific. Don’t try to solve everything. Choose an issue that connects with your purpose and your audience, then build around that. Be consistent. Show your progress, but share the things you’re still figuring out. You don’t have to be perfect, but you do have to be real.

Aidan: One of the big risks we see is brands defaulting to “safe” statements that say a lot of words without saying anything. But audiences don’t want neutrality. They want clarity. Especially with younger generations, they expect the brands they buy from to reflect their values. Not in a preachy way, but in a human one.

Kris: We think of it as a spectrum: awareness, alignment, action. First, you have to know what’s going on. Then check if it aligns with your brand’s truth. Then act in a way that reinforces that alignment, internally and externally. If you skip steps or try flip the order to fit some other agenda, that’s where things start to feel hollow.

What are the critical considerations for industry leaders when deciding whether and how to engage in brand activism?

Aidan: The most important thing is alignment. Before you take a public stance, you have to ask: is this something we truly believe in and are we willing to back it up operationally? If the belief isn’t baked into your business model and culture, the decision-making will be off and the message won’t land. Brand activism can’t live in the marketing department alone.

Kris: And timing matters too. You don’t always have to be the first to post. Sometimes, pausing to reflect and gather your thoughts shows more integrity than rushing to join a trending conversation. It’s better to be thoughtful than performative, especially if you’re speaking about something sensitive or emotionally charged.

Aidan: We also encourage leaders to look at their own house first and what’s happening behind the scenes. Are your hiring practices inclusive and your supply chains ethical? If the external message doesn’t match the internal reality, it’s only a matter of time before that disconnect becomes public.

Kris: Another big one is who gets a say. Too many decisions like this are made in echo chambers. Bring in a diverse range of voices and not just to sign things off, but to shape them. That might mean involving more team members, customers or even community groups. Ultimately, the more open the process, the more resonant the outcome.

Aidan: And finally, don’t forget to think long-term. A bold statement might earn a few likes, but real change takes time. Activism is always going to be a journey and audiences will be watching out to see if you follow through. The brands that get this right are the ones that treat their purpose not as a PR play, but as part of their DNA.

How does Horrible Brands stand apart from competitors?

Kris: We’re not really trying to look like an agency. More like the anti-agency! We try to act like a brand. That mindset shift changes everything: how we show up, how we speak, how we design, even how we choose our clients. Most agencies talk about branding, but still operate like service providers. We’re trying to lead by example. If we’re asking our clients to be bold, we’ve got to do the same.

Aidan: We’re also very outcome-focused. Our work doesn’t just sit on a shelf looking pretty. It has to move the needle, both emotionally and commercially. Clients come to us for clarity. They want to stop overthinking or overcomplicating. We help them find their way back to their core and communicate it with confidence. Sometimes that means stripping everything back. Sometimes it means giving them the words they say informally and didn’t know they were allowed to say out in the world.

Kris: There’s a line from one client that really stuck with us: “You don’t just build brands. You build belief.” That’s exactly what we’re trying to do. Our job is to see the potential in someone’s business and help them step into it. To show them what they can become, and how to express that without losing themselves along the way.

Aidan: We’re also proud of being from Belfast and we don’t water that down. We’ve won global clients, the award for NI Creative StartUp of the Year and a place in the UK’s Top 25 Agencies for Brand Positioning. All that’s without playing by the usual rules. We don’t do agency BS or hiding behind jargon. We keep things human. It’s about building brands that feel believable…and behave like real people.

Kris:That honesty filters into how we interact with clients. We’ll challenge your assumptions. We’ll push you out of your comfort zone. But we’ll always be in your corner while doing it, because at the end of the day, our success is measured in how confidently you can show up when we’re not in the room.

The Industry Leaders meets the men disrupting the traditional concept of branding

What was the most fun project you were assigned?

Aidan: There’s been a few, but one that really stands out is a surfing brand in Hawaii we’ve been working with recently. They make ultra-premium waterproof parkas and drysuits that are used by Navy SEALs and special forces. The product is brilliant, but the brand mascot is this little cartoon seal. It’s this perfect collision of high-performance and fun, which gave us so much freedom creatively.

Kris: We had a ton of fun with that one! We used AI to generate iconography based on the seal mascot, creating a nice set of visual metaphors and scope for some tiny story moments in the future. The best part was weaving all of it into a proper narrative. Using the Donald Miller StoryBrand framework, we positioned their customer as the hero and the brand as the trusted guide. Suddenly, the whole experience felt like an adventure. Not just a product to buy, but a story to be part of.

Aidan: The landing pages we’re building now are designed to support their launch into the EU market and they’re going to stand out massively! We’re blessed with a lot of great partners like that. There’s a cookie brand in Seattle that has a mindfulness slant and a chain of gyms in New York with their own specially designed equipment, backed by bio-science research and designed to give you the ultimate high intensity workout in just 20 minutes! We also have tech start-ups, cyber security, law and accountancy firms, event planners and even a few charities. The common theme is that all of them are open to new ideas. They understand that good branding is about connection, not just aesthetics.

Kris: There’s just something really fun about any project where the client trusts you to push the boundaries. You get to play, but with purpose. When you can mix boldness, strategy and storytelling all in one go, that’s when the real magic happens.

And what was the most challenging?

Aidan: I can think of handful of projects where we encountered a client who’d been burned by a previous agency. The lack of direction previously just ended up with messaging that was all over the place. No clarity or consistency, and no trust left in what good branding and strategy can do for your business. The challenge there is always to make a fresh start and drop the frustration, no matter how badly things went before.

Kris: The work itself isn’t the problem. It’s the emotional state that a failed project can leave the client in. We’re essentially walking into a relationship where things have already gone sour to an extent and there’s a lot of lingering fear or doubt. You can feel the hesitation and people bracing themselves for another disappointment. In those moments where strategy wasn’t enough, what they really needed first was empathy. So, we slowed down and we listened…

Aidan: Sometimes, you have to slow the entire process down and strip everything back, which can be understandably frustrating, especially where there might have been some hard work that’s already gone into a project. If the direction isn’t right, then it’s a case of bringing back solid foundations, rebuilding along with the client and not just for them. We just need that chance to show them the right way. Once their belief in a particular outcome is restored, the creativity can start to flow again and with that, comes the trust that we can get the job done for them.

Kris: Getting to that point can be tough, but it serves to remind us that the branding process is often about healing as much as building. Especially when a client’s lost confidence, not just in agencies, but in their own story. In the end, even projects like this can also be hugely rewarding though. It’s shown us that the most powerful thing you can bring to the table sometimes isn’t a clever idea or perfect design. Its presence. Just being human. That’s what creates the space for real change.

Do you consider AI as a positive asset for the future of branding, and how do you see branding evolving in a world of AI?

Kris: We love using AI, although there is a “but”! When used well, it’s a brilliant creative support tool. It helps with idea generation, pattern spotting, early drafts and even visual exploration. But what we always say to clients is this: AI can spark something, but it shouldn’t speak for you. Branding is emotional. It’s not just information. So, if you're handing your voice over to generic ChatGPT output then you’re not building connection, you’re building distance.

Aidan: One of our clients was using ChatGPT for content, but it had lost all sense of their tone of voice. The topics were fine and the grammar was (more or less) flawless, but it didn’t sound at all like them. The human side was gone. So we actually built what we call a “BrandGPT” — training a custom ChatGPT channel on their tone of voice, values and examples of real writing. The content still came from AI, but it felt more like them, and that was what brought the emotional connection back. Engagement went up and the team started enjoying content again. That’s kind of what AI should do: make you more human, not less.

Kris: The BrandGPT offering has been working really well for our clients, but only because we make sure to take them through our Brand Strategy framework beforehand. We have to get to the core of what their about to uncover what their messaging and tone of voice should be. Then we train the channel with lots of writing examples and detailed instructions to make sure output is always on-brand. We see AI working best when it’s used to scale your creativity, not replace it. It can free up time with automation, remove blockers and support consistency across channels, but brand thinking still has to lead. AI can write a sentence, but only you can make it matter!

Aidan: Looking ahead, the focus will shift from surface-level design to a deeper connection with audiences. AI can already enhance design, speed up content creation and automate processes, if not entire projects. Not only will this get easier, but AI will take customer engagement even further online, with more personalisation and specially tailored experiences offered on a far bigger scale. Effective branding will always need the authenticity factor though, in terms of human values and originality. It’s the soul of a brand in terms of its story and emotional connection that will stand out in a world increasingly driven by technology. In this future, the brands that combine AI’s capabilities with genuine human insights will be the ones to thrive.

How do long-standing brands stay relevant and successful when new, agile companies are always popping up? How can they keep their history alive while also innovating for the future, and what can we learn from those who've succeeded or failed?

Aidan: Legacy brands do have one huge advantage: their history. The key is knowing how to honour it without getting stuck in it. The brands that stay relevant are the ones that evolve and not by abandoning their roots, but by reframing them in a way that speaks to today’s audience. Guinness is a great example. A brand with deep heritage, but their marketing feels fresh, confident, and totally in tune with culture.

Kris: A lot of legacy brands fall into one of two traps. Either they try to look young by mimicking trends (which can feel a bit desperate), or they play it too safe and slowly fade into irrelevance. The real sweet spot is consistency with curiosity. Knowing who you are, but being willing to experiment with how you show up.

Aidan: It also comes down to structure. Your brand needs to be built in a way that allows for evolution. We see brand strategy as being core business infrastructure, as important as a business plan and bigger than a sales or marketing strategy in the sense that they should be informed by brand. It gives you something to grow from, rather than something to break and rebuild every time the market shifts.

Kris: And emotionally, it’s about trust. If your audience knows what you stand for, they’ll follow you into new spaces. But if your message has always been vague, any change will feel like a pivot. That’s why the foundation matters. Your logo might change and your products might expand, but the “why”, the reason you exist should feel like a golden thread through everything.

Aidan: So the advice for any brand then would be to start with clarity, then layer in adaptability. The world doesn’t need you to be loud. It needs you to be clear, and willing to grow without losing yourself. Say less, but mean more.

What does the future hold for Horrible Brands?

Kris: We’re just getting started! We’ve been on a serious growth trajectory since being named Creative StartUp of the Year. We’ve always seen Horrible Brands as a brand in its own right and now, we’re scaling it with that mindset. We’re aiming for even more global reach and expanding our impact, which includes scaling our productised services to help even more businesses. At the same time, we want to stay firmly rooted in Ireland. And proudly so. We want to keep flying the flag for local creativity on a global stage, and raise the standard for what strategic branding from this part of the world can be.

Aidan: We’ll still be delivering projects, but the aim is to eventually have people and teams supporting each other across different time zones. There’s a growing community element, with clients and collaborators who want to build brands that actually mean something. We want to evolve into building a platform for brand clarity that includes lead magnets, workshops, content and templates, all designed to help more teams and founders find their voice. That part is really exciting.

Kris: The future of branding is honest, emotive and human. That’s where we’re heading and we’re building the tools to help others head there too. Our mission is still the same: helping good people build bold, believable brands that tell their story. But we’re thinking even bigger now about how we can scale that impact.

Aidan: There’s also more collaboration ahead. We’ve been working with the likes of Seth Godin, Andi Jarvis of Eximo Marketing and Treena Clarke of The Big Marketing MeetUp to bring practical brand thinking to more people. Hopefully we’ll be to announce a few more masterclasses like the ones we did in Ireland, maybe even one in New York. And there are plenty of new ideas we’re working on behind the scenes with Magna, our software/app development partners, that could be something really special too! Watch this space…

Kris Byers and Aidan Harbinson are the founders of Horrible Brands: a strategy-led branding and digital agency specialising in emotionally intelligent design. With over 35 years’ combined experience working with global clients, they believe brands shouldn’t just look good, but feel good and connect on a human level. Horrible Brands exists to help ambitious, purpose-driven companies simplify their message, clarify their identity and build brands that move people. Blending strategic thinking with creative execution, Aidan and Kris are proof that branding isn’t about shiny visuals but about creating impact and meaning.