I first heard Cat How speak at the 2024 Brand New Conference in Salt Lake City, where she walked through How&How‘s work for Wild Thingz, the rebel candy brand they built for a category most parents have mentally crossed out. The work was impressive, and Cat was clear and articulate her in description of it. I jumped at the opportunity to interview her here, on How Brands Are Built.
Cat co-founded How&How in 2020 with her husband Rog, and the London- and LA-based, B Corp-certified agency has since built identities for Chester Zoo, Big Cartel, Holland & Barrett, and Freetree (a project they took on in exchange for trees instead of money). She’s also D&AD’s 2026 New Brand Identity Jury President, a D&AD Global Ambassador, and has spoken everywhere from Web Summit to Davos.
Below, Cat How talks about her winding path into branding, when to push clients past their comfort zone, the case for the category-defying direction How&How took Wild Thingz, and how she’s ended up in so many of the rooms most agency founders would love to get into.
About Cat and How&How
How would you describe How&How in a nutshell?
We’re a branding agency helping ambitious businesses build identities with real personality, not just polish. Strategy first, craft always, and hopefully work that feels brave, useful, and memorable.
You co-founded How&How in the summer of 2020. What did you learn from that experience, and how have things changed for How&How post-pandemic?
It was a pretty odd moment to start anything, which probably helped! We learned to stay nimble, be comfortable with uncertainty, and build relationships remotely. Post-pandemic, we’re still the same business, just with more confidence and a lot more momentum.
Looks like you had a winding path into branding (journalism, co-working business, etc.). How do those earlier chapters show up in the way you run the agency and approach the work?
All the time. Journalism gave me an instinct for the story and the edit; co-working taught me about community, pace, and operations; moving around taught me to be open and not over-attach to one way of doing things. We learnt a lot the hard way with running two of our own businesses before founding the agency. At the time I wished I’d had more “agency time” under my belt—but actually these lessons in other areas were invaluable.
Branding work, speaking, and judging
When is the right time to push a client past their comfort zone?
When there’s a clear strategic reason and the client is genuinely ready for change. Brave is rooted in insight and ambition; reckless is change for the sake of it.
Brave is rooted in insight and ambition; reckless is change for the sake of it.”
—Cat How
I saw you speak at Brand New (in Salt Lake City), where you shared your work for Wild Thingz. That work went against some category norms. How did you make the case for it with the client?
By focusing on the audience rather than the category. The client wanted to reach kids and parents in a way that felt different, so we leaned into energy, attitude, and a bit of chaos—not the usual healthy-snack clichés. It worked because it was true to the brand, not just attention-seeking. It was therefore highly differentiated as a result!
You’ve ended up in a lot of rooms (and on a lot of stages) most agency founders would love to get into—Brand New, Web Summit, Davos, D&AD Jury President. How have you built that level of visibility?
Mostly by doing good work, being useful, and showing up consistently. Visibility is a by-product of that for me, not a strategy in itself. I’m quite active on socials and try to be as honest and transparent as possible when it comes to communicating with our following.
Looking ahead
What’s next for How&How?
More of the same, but bigger: braver clients, stronger identities, and more work that feels culturally sharp and commercially useful. We’re focused on growing without losing the hands-on feel that makes the studio work. This year we are wanting to expand our team in LA as a next step.
Any advice for junior people or people just getting into branding?
Always! Get really good at the basics and learn your first principles. Be curious about the business you are designing for, not just the visuals. Start getting to grips with how AI can help you amplify your inherent creativity. Alongside that, find people you trust and learn from them. And most importantly, don’t wait to feel ready—you never really do! So you might as well start yesterday!
Don’t wait to feel ready—you never really do.”
—Cat How
Q&A Bonus Round with Cat How
What’s a word or phrase you probably say too often?
I heard this from a friend the other day, and now I can’t stop saying it: later means never.
What’s a hobby you have that no one would expect?
Weightlifting.
What’s a personal routine or ritual you adhere to?
Every morning I read the papers: The Guardian, The Economist and then the Financial Times—in that order. And then I read all the updates from the day across them all before I go to bed. I hate not knowing what is happening in the world.
Anywhere in the world you’d like to live but haven’t had the chance to yet?
New York.
What’s the last movie you saw that made an impact on you?
Saltburn. I know it’s not massively recent, but I only got round to seeing it the other day. And I just love that final scene!
Rob Meyerson is a brand consultant, author of Brand Naming, and co-author of the sixth edition of Designing Brand Identity. He runs Heirloom, a brand strategy and identity firm, and hosts the podcast How Brands Are Built.
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