We help organisations to isolate, integrate and communicate what makes them special

‘Algrano’ is from a Spanish phrase for getting to the point (go to the grain) – exactly what we can help with.

Bringing curiosity, perspective, experience and focus, we create bespoke brands

Brand success = a firm yes to these key questions:

Does the brand feel like you?

Do you truly believe in it?

Are you excited and inspired?

Is it the right thing to do vs the easy thing to do?

Will it flex to different audiences, scenarios?

Can it evolve as you do?

Ultimately, would you pin it on your metaphorical fridge?

Because your brand should be something you feel proud of and will be a pivotal organisational connector.
brand
employee
value
proposition
visual
& verbal
identity
culture,
vision,
values
funding
comms,
content
strategy
growth,
consolidation
plans
partnership
strategy
environmental,
social,
governance
strategy

process

No client or project is the same, but here are some key stages which work to phased deliverables

  • 01 scope
    • clarify task
    • why now?
    • ambition
    • stakeholders
    • budget
  • 02 discovery
    • understand organisation
    • context
    • audiences
    • key issues and insights
  • 03 define
    • proposition
    • architecture
    • identity briefs
    • messaging and comms
  • 04 identity
    • visual and verbal expression
    • guidelines
  • 05 realise
    • partnership / ESG / EVP strategies
    • launch
    • comms and content

work

Clients range from charities to FTSE 100s, energy providers to cultural institutions, campaigners to global advertising agencies.

  • Care International

    Evolving brand to align global and local objectives plus developing strategic partnerships approach for this international development agency.

  • Muscular Dystrophy UK

    Research and positioning for MDUK as a future-focused leader in the fight against muscle-wasting conditions.

  • Sheila McKechnie Foundation

    Redressing limited conceptions of campaigning and evolving SMK’s proposition, targeted comms and marketing strategy.

  • RSSL

    Evolutionary science brand for food and pharmaceutical CRO, creating foundations for visual and verbal identities and core communications.

  • Carbery & Synergy

    Brand hierarchy and strategy after persona profiling and trend analysis for global F&B organisation.

  • bp

    Corporate, sustainability and statistical reporting, setting up in-house communications “agency”.

  • Rio Tinto

    Launching $10m purpose and values programme to global workforce, ESG and content strategy, planning and directing human-centric videos.

  • Equals Money

    Re-brand including name, product mix and value proposition, visual and verbal identity, launch campaign and comms planning.

  • KOKO

    Brand strategy for iconic venue’s physical and digital offer based on audience range and cultural contribution.

  • Wieden + Kennedy

    Brand consultancy, extending agency offer beyond advertising into end-to-end branding.

  • Wellcome

    Brand strategy and management, coordinating Wellcome family members whilst overseeing Design and Multimedia team and output.

testimonials

We worked with Sam on sharpening up our comms and value propositions to a corporate audience. It was a great experience and one that benefitted from her ability to move from strategic thinking to practical action.
Head of Strategic Partnerships, CARE International
Sam’s insights really helped us move forward in our thinking about how to use brand to inform strategy and make decisions. I learnt a lot about the subtler sides of brand and how it can be used beyond marketing and comms.
Head of Comms, CARE International
Sam has a good sense of what brand can contribute to an organisation, and how to develop a brand to meet the needs of its users. The successful brand refreshes of Wellcome Collection and the Wellcome Genome Campus owed much to her strategic input.
Communications Director, Wellcome
Sam’s attention to detail, awareness of client’s needs and constraints and personable character made her a joy to work with at all times.
Head of Corporate Comms, bp
Sam is an excellent communicator and her ability to engage with people from a diverse range of functions and interpret complex markets and their nuances was hugely beneficial for our company and in defining our future strategies.
Marketing, Carbery
Working with Sam on our brand project has been an absolute pleasure. She’s fantastic at her job, very organised, approachable and extremely knowledgeable about brand strategy. It is not just what Sam does but how she does it which you appreciate.
RSSL
Don’t be fooled by her warmth, distinct lack of ego and jargon – Sam is one of the sharpest brand brains I’ve come across. She’s a team player and organisational machine, building relationships as well as she builds brands, and key in setting up our brand studio.
Creative Director, Wieden + Kennedy