Great brands envelop our senses

Moments that envelop our senses leave the biggest impact. They endure because they bring transformation in some way.

Umbrella plant | Eden Project, Cornwall

"Awe" isn’t a word we use very often. But it’s the only way I can describe the Eden Project - that feeling of being small in the face of something colossal, important, alive. Driving into the clay pit that is Eden in March, and spotting the biomes for the first time, felt otherworldly. Futuristic yet grounded in nature. Inside, the Mediterranean biome enveloped me with scents of cypress, verbena, olive. The Rainforest biome was a stark contrast of hot, humid air; heavy aromas of bamboo and lush, breathing vegetation; Malaysian partridges digging around my feet.

But it was Seed, a granite sculpture by Peter Randall-Page, that brought me the most profound reflection. It represents the Fibonacci sequence, gracefully suggesting how nature interlaces our man-made world. Life changing.

Seed (2007) Peter Randall-Page | Eden Project, Cornwall

Food at Eden is literally from the Garden of Eden - delicious, fresh, local produce.

Spending time later with Eden’s founder, my friend Sir Tim Smit, was an experience in itself. Tim's curiosity and passion for change is inspirational. He pushes innovation and reinvention to extreme edge - like turning a disused clay pit into a living, global icon for sustainability - for important ideas he believes in.

The Eden Project conveys so powerfully how authenticity, innovation and storytelling combined can create deep and lasting connections. Much like the biomes stand for both nature and innovation, brands thrive when they're rooted in deep-set meaning.

What place has left you awestruck?

This is the first piece of five about transformative moments that shaped my 2024.

Malaysian partridge at the Eden Project, Cornwall