The brand I’ve always loved

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Transform readers reveal the brands they have always loved, and what they find so enticing about them.

Ahmed Al-Abdullatif, creative director and CEO, Gene

Porsche

It all started with my first sight of the 911. Since I was a child, I’ve been captivated by its iconic curves and as a designer, I’ve grown to deeply respect its philosophy of timeless design.

My 'moment of truth' came when I owned my 2018 Carrera S; the way it drove – durable, fast and remarkably practical – confirmed my devotion. From the creative advertising and store experiences to the ‘Icons of Porsche’ event, every touchpoint reinforces that love. Driven by the founder’s story and a passionate global community, Porsche isn’t just a brand – it’s a masterclass in identity, storytelling and holistic excellence.

Cat How, founder and executive creative director, How&How

Fishwife

Fishwife is a perfect example of how branding can completely rewrite a category. Tinned fish used to feel like something you ate in a crisis. Fishwife turned it into a lifestyle – colourful, collectible, giftable. The packaging is basically the product: bold illustration, punchy colour, unapologetically playful typography. It feels like indie magazine art direction meets pantry staple. And that’s the genius – it makes the everyday feel curated. It doesn’t lean on old-school 'heritage' cues or coastal cliches. Hallelujah! It’s modern, irreverent and a bit sexy (yes, even for sardines). 1.5M likes on Tiktok? 240K followers on Instagram? Fishwife proves that when you nail identity and story, you can make anything desirable. Even smelly dead fish.

Mike Perry, founder and chief creative officer, Tavern

Rainforest Cafe

I’ve always had a soft spot for Rainforest Cafe. It was more than a place to eat. It was a fully branded world you stepped into. Dining and entertainment, inseparable ideas. The thunderstorms and the wild (literally!) decor created rituals people still talk about decades later.

Say the name and everyone remembers the moment the lights dimmed and the rain started. That’s not nostalgia. That’s a brand equity working exactly as intended. Rainforest Cafe understood that experience builds equity when it’s designed with intention and joy. The category may have lost its lustre, but the idea still holds. Thoughtful, immersive branding can turn a meal into a moment people carry with them long after the check is paid.

Libby Tsoi, creative director, DixonBaxi

Loewe

A brand I truly love is Loewe. Under Jonathan Anderson’s direction, it evolved from a label lingering on the fringes of fashion into one of the most influential and talked-about houses of recent years. What captivates me most is the balance it strikes between elegance and craft: the precision of the construction, the intelligence of the silhouettes and the quiet confidence of its minimal branding. There is a delicacy in how Loewe presents itself that feels both refined and deeply considered. As the brand enters a new chapter following Anderson’s departure, it will be fascinating to see how it continues to evolve. If it upholds the same commitment to quality and creativity, I’ll remain a devoted admirer.

Paul Cardwell, co-founder, Saboteur

BBC

The love of my life is a lot older than I am. And a lot bigger. Some would say she is past her best and some – Nadine Dorries, Donald Trump – would like to kill her. But not me. I love the BBC. I have visited every day of my life and I always will. To inform, educate and entertain is a pretty lofty mission. They set the bar high but they meet it every day. Benchmark drama, acute analysis and the best music in the world, from Mahler to Miles and Marshall Mathers 111, all delivered with elegant, intelligent design. Our broadcast landscape would be impoverished without it. To visit that dystopia, tune into GB News. Or Fox. My next tattoo? I❤︎BBC.

Pierre Nabhan, co-founder, JoosNabhan

Warner Bros

Whether it was spinning with my Led Zeppelin vinyl, zooming onto the screen for Bugs Bunny or introducing the soaring heroics of Superman, the 'Big W' was one of the geometric heartbeats of my childhood.

Designed by Saul Bass for Warner Bros, those three parallel strokes were a masterpiece of minimalism. Because the logo was so abstract, it functioned as an empty vessel, carrying the soul of whatever followed it. It was a symbol of many faces, a silent portal that invited me to fill it with my own excitement and imagination. Along with the electronic feel of the Handel Gothic typeface, the overall identity applied to every division of Warner, announcing a new world.

Ahead of its time, its futuristic style and liquid feel resonate even more today in a digital world where 'Liquid Glass design' is the new standard.

Duy Nguyen and Lan Mai, co-founders, M — N Associates

Guta Cafe

Personally, for both of us, it is Guta Cafe. Guta was our first big project together as a design duo, and the moment when our relationship and our studio truly began to take shape. At that time, branding in Vietnam was still finding its voice and Guta became a chance to prove that local culture could be expressed with confidence, modernity and pride through typography and strong design systems. The project carried the energy of two young designers learning, arguing, growing and committing, not just to a client, but to each other and to the idea of doing meaningful work. Every decision felt personal.

Looking back, Guta is not just a brand we designed, but the starting point that shaped how we love, work, and build Vietnamese brands that can speak powerfully to the world.

Jacquelien Brussee, managing partner, Jibe

Hotel Costes and Gentle Monster

Hotel Costes back in the 2000s, loved it! It showed us atmosphere as brand identity. That crimson velvet, Jacques Garcia's Napoleon III maximalism, every touchpoint reinforced one coherent design language. But their genius? Making it exportable. I played those Pompougnac compilations everywhere – Amsterdam, HK, Shanghai – and bought that brown candle countless times. A sensorial vocabulary I could carry home. The magic has faded, but the lesson stuck.

Fast forward to now, it’s Gentle Monster. Captivated by entirely different design confidence. Those sculptural, bold sunglasses, unapologetic without big visible branding. Their stores are kinetic installations that transform completely. Korean design confidence meets maximalist spatial experience. The eyewear and space speak the same visual language.

Both understood: brand design transcends logos. Costes made mood portable. Gentle Monster makes presence unmistakable. Different eras, same truth: powerful brands design entire worlds.

James Cooper, head of creative partnerships, Universal Favourite

Air New Zealand

For me, it has to be Air New Zealand. For decades, the airline has challenged industry conventions, backed by a promise of ‘manaaki’ (to take care further than any airline). Both the hard and soft product live up to the brand experience, reflecting the warm, creative spirit of the country alongside a seamless digital flight path that creates a frictionless experience whether you’re booking, changing a flight or grabbing a coffee in the lounge. On a recent trip, after mentioning a poor experience with a competitor while booking a last-minute flight on the phone, I arrived to find a pillow waiting on my seat and a crew member saying, “hope you can enjoy some rest now, we’ll take care of you on the journey home.” ❤️

Alex Wodrich, managing director, why do birds

Coke Zero

Growing up in the ‘80s, the #1 lifestyle brand was Coca-Cola. Great posters, great campaigns, genius collaborations with the pop stars of the day and, of course, the fantastic logo. I loved the brand but actually never bothered drinking it very much. A bit too sugary for me. In the '90s I had a few Diet Cokes, but it wasn’t until about 15 years ago when they pulled off the marketing stunt and created Coke Zero (really not any different to Diet Coke in the taste, if you ask me), clearly positioned it as a diet drink for men, put it into a black can and launched it with the campaign 'Life as it should be.' They had me. Been happily drinking it ever since.