Branding Love Letters

IKEA is a Swedish furniture retailer and strategist Anneli Hansson's favourite brand. Narnia, Hogwarts, IKEA... For Anneli, they're all offering the same thing. Because when you step through the doors of that big blue warehouse, you get to experience almost endless possibilities. And 'experience' really is the key word. This episode is a (very Swedish) journey into the wonderful everyday.

Anneli's website: www.annelihansson.com

What is this podcast?

Case studies in brand loyalty, equipping you to better connect with your audience. In each episode, a top guest picks their favourite brand. I then invite them to unpack why it means so much. As they share, we gain invaluable insights into what makes audiences tick. Not with strategy or theory, but through that undeniable proof of successful branding: emotion.

Who am I?

I'm Sam. I love Jesus and design.

My website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.pilgrimage.design⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Final thing (I promise)!

I'd love for you to check out my newsletter at the crossroads between Christianity and design: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pilgrimagedesign.substack.com

Harvard is an American university and visual strategist ⁠Tosin Odugbemi's favourite brand. It started with 'Legally Blonde'. Or maybe before. In fact, Harvard has always been in Tosin's consciousness, representing the peak of human accomplishment. But studying her master's there hasn't been a Hollywood fantasy. Today's episode is a raw love letter to an oxymoron of a brand: both monolithic and radical, inspirational and anxiety-inducing.

Tosin's website: www.oluwatosin.net

What is this podcast?

Case studies in brand loyalty, equipping you to better connect with your audience. In each episode, a top guest picks their favourite brand. I then invite them to unpack why it means so much. As they share, we gain invaluable insights into what makes audiences tick. Not with strategy or theory, but through that undeniable proof of successful branding: emotion.⁠⁠⁠

Who am I?

I'm Sam. I love Jesus and design.

My website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.pilgrimage.design⁠⁠⁠⁠

Final thing (I promise)!

I'd love for you to check out my newsletter at the crossroads between Christianity and design: ⁠⁠⁠⁠pilgrimagedesign.substack.com

How did I become a freelance graphic designer? Why did I start this podcast? What's it like to live as a digital nomad? How did I find my niche? What have been the successes and challenges on the journey so far? In this special episode to mark one year of Branding Love Letters, I share some of my story. All while going for a hike (sorry about the windy weather). Welcome along!

What is this podcast?

Case studies in brand loyalty, equipping you to better connect with your audience. In each episode, a top guest picks their favourite brand. I then invite them to unpack why it means so much. As they share, we gain invaluable insights into what makes audiences tick. Not with strategy or theory, but through that undeniable proof of successful branding: emotion.

Who am I?

I'm Sam Thorogood. I love Jesus and design.

My website: ⁠⁠⁠www.pilgrimage.design⁠⁠⁠

Final thing (I promise)!

I'd love for you to check out my newsletter at the crossroads between Christianity and design: ⁠⁠⁠pilgrimagedesign.substack.com

Sway is an American biotech company and green graphic designer Emma Fanning's favourite brand. In 2017, Emma was mocked for suggesting that graphic design should be sustainable. But that didn't stop her from pioneering a successful career in green design. This led her to Sway, who are developing a plastic alternative. Today's episode is a tale of packaging, greenwashing and seaweed.

Emma's website: www.littlefoxdesign.com

What is this podcast?

Case studies in brand loyalty, equipping you to better connect with your audience. In each episode, a top guest picks their favourite brand. I then invite them to unpack why it means so much. As they share, we gain invaluable insights into what makes audiences tick. Not with strategy or theory, but through that undeniable proof of successful branding: emotion.⁠⁠⁠

Who am I?

I'm Sam. I love Jesus and design.

My website: ⁠⁠⁠www.pilgrimage.design⁠⁠⁠

Final thing (I promise)!

I'd love for you to check out my newsletter at the crossroads between Christianity and design: ⁠⁠⁠pilgrimagedesign.substack.com

Starbucks is an American coffee shop chain and music producer Just Wisdom's favourite brand. Military bases. First dates. Cross-country pit stops. All threaded together by a green and white siren: the icon that lets Patrick Forbes (a.k.a. Just Wisdom) know he is home. For him, Starbucks has become much more than a cafe. It is a refuge, a place of tranquility and a constant in a constantly-changing world.

Just Wisdom's music: www.bio.to/justwisdom_

What is this podcast?

Case studies in brand loyalty, equipping you to better connect with your audience. In each episode, a top guest picks their favourite brand. I then invite them to unpack why it means so much. As they share, we gain invaluable insights into what makes audiences tick. Not with strategy or theory, but through that undeniable proof of successful branding: emotion.

Who am I?

I'm Sam. I love Jesus and design.

My website: ⁠⁠www.pilgrimage.design⁠⁠

Final thing (I promise)!

I'd love for you to check out my newsletter at the crossroads between Christianity and design: ⁠⁠pilgrimagedesign.substack.com

Kerrington's Heart is a Kentucky-based non-profit and graphic designer Danielle Meadows-Stinnett's favourite brand. Danielle loves superheroes. But the heroes she's met through this locally-rooted organisation don't wear capes. They are children experiencing congenital heart defects, their families and their caregivers. This is the story of an early-career branding assignment that became a mission, a cause and a community.

Danielle's website: www.lexoctane.com

What is this podcast?

Case studies in brand loyalty, equipping you to better connect with your audience. In each episode, a top guest picks their favourite brand. I then invite them to unpack why it means so much. As they share, we gain invaluable insights into what makes audiences tick. Not with strategy or theory, but through that undeniable proof of successful branding: emotion.

Who am I?

I'm Sam. I love Jesus and design.

My website: ⁠⁠www.pilgrimage.design⁠⁠

Final thing (I promise)!

I'd love for you to check out my newsletter at the crossroads between Christianity and design: ⁠⁠pilgrimagedesign.substack.com

AFM Safecoat is an American building products line and healthy building expert Andy Pace's favourite brand. Andy knew something needed to change in the construction industry when three of his colleagues on a job were rushed to hospital with breathing problems. That was thirty years ago, when the word 'green' was simply a colour. He found a small company called AFM that was ahead of the curve, pioneering non-toxic materials for healthier people and environments. And he has never looked back.

Andy's website: www.thegreendesigncenter.com

What is this podcast?

Case studies in brand loyalty, equipping you to better connect with your audience. In each episode, a top guest picks their favourite brand. I then invite them to unpack why it means so much. As they share, we gain invaluable insights into what makes audiences tick. Not with strategy or theory, but through that undeniable proof of successful branding: emotion.

Who am I?

I'm Sam. I love Jesus and design.

My website: ⁠⁠www.pilgrimage.design⁠⁠

Final thing (I promise)!

I'd love for you to check out my newsletter at the crossroads between Christianity and design: ⁠⁠pilgrimagedesign.substack.com

Franco Manca is a British pizza chain and media producer Thomas Thorogood's favourite brand. When he was at university, this pizzeria hosted some of Thomas' happiest memories and most creative conversations. He keeps returning, deliberately seeking out Franco Mancas across the UK. Whether it's in Cambridge, Edinburgh or Brighton, stepping through their doors always feels like a homecoming.

Speak Life website: www.speaklife.org.uk

What is this podcast?

Case studies in brand loyalty, equipping you to better connect with your audience. In each episode, a top guest picks their favourite brand. I then invite them to unpack why it means so much. As they share, we gain invaluable insights into what makes audiences tick. Not with strategy or theory, but through that undeniable proof of successful branding: emotion.

Who am I?

I'm Sam. I love Jesus and design.

My website: ⁠www.pilgrimage.design⁠

Final thing (I promise)!

I'd love for you to check out my newsletter at the crossroads between Christianity and design: ⁠pilgrimagedesign.substack.com

Annie's is an American organic food company and strategy consultant Kathy Guzmán Galloway's favourite brand. Among the brash primary colours of the central aisle, Annie's softer tones always stood out to Kathy. As a mum, she also appreciated that their products didn't sacrifice health in pursuit of convenience. This is a story of brand distinctiveness, bunnies and macaroni cheese.

Kathy's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kathygalloway

What is this podcast?

Case studies in brand loyalty, equipping you to better connect with your audience. In each episode, a top guest picks their favourite brand. I then invite them to unpack why it means so much. As they share, we gain invaluable insights into what makes audiences tick. Not with strategy or theory, but through that undeniable proof of successful branding: emotion.

Who am I?

I'm Sam. I love Jesus and design.

My website: ⁠www.pilgrimage.design⁠

Final thing (I promise)!

I'd love for you to check out my newsletter at the crossroads between Christianity and design: ⁠pilgrimagedesign.substack.com

Jennifer Lopez is an American singer, actress, dancer, businesswoman and Connie Steele's favourite brand. Connie, who is a future of work expert, believes that J.Lo has lots to teach us about personal branding in the modern world. She unpacks how J.Lo's fundamental strength is her breadth, with a career-long refusal to be pigeonholed into one category.

Connie's website: www.conniewsteele.com

What is this podcast?

Case studies in brand loyalty, equipping you to better connect with your audience. In each episode, a top guest picks their favourite brand. I then invite them to unpack why it means so much. As they share, we gain invaluable insights into what makes audiences tick. Not with strategy or theory, but through that undeniable proof of successful branding: emotion.

Who am I?

I'm Sam. I love Jesus and design.

My website: ⁠www.pilgrimage.design⁠

Final thing (I promise)!

I'd love for you to check out my newsletter at the crossroads between Christianity and design: ⁠pilgrimagedesign.substack.com