Most designers follow trends, but very few set them. Lachlan Philp—Art director and designer— is one of those rare talents shaping the design landscape. As the co-leader of and, more recently, one of the disruptors behind the pasta sauce brand Sorry Nonna, Lachlan consistently demonstrates his ability to craft not just designs but entire brand worlds that resonate deeply with audiences.
A Bespoke Type of Love
Lachlan’s journey into design began at Swinburne University. While most students focused on logos and brand identities, Lachlan was experimenting with typography and lettering, creating large mural displays on walls and alleyways for passersby to admire. Over time, this passion developed into a skill set that had a portion of the Australian design community taking notice.
His talent caught the eye of Todd Vanneste, who had founded Weekdays Design Studio in 2011. A few years after its inception, Lachlan joined forces with Todd, and together they spent the next decade delivering iconic, timeless work for brands, carving out a niche in the food and beverage, hospitality, arts, and culture sectors. What truly set Weekdays Design apart was their ability to seamlessly blend the digital and physical realms, a concept they refer to as “building a brand world.” This approach was best exemplified in their work for The Keys bowling alley. 
“We like to think of brands as more of a world where you can inlay as many touchpoints as possible with a feeling or visual that represents the story of the brand” — Lachlan Philp.
Making Nonna Proud
After more than a decade of executing successful and bespoke design projects for clients, Lachlan has started turning his attention to building his own line of consumer products. Partnering with advertising creative Grga Calic, Lachlan co-founded Sorry Nonna, a brand that reinvents traditional pasta sauce with a bold, contemporary twist.
“Much like Nan’s living room, pasta sauce hasn’t changed much since the ’80s. We wanted to disrupt that with something fresh, flavourful, and fun.”
By blending classic recipes with unique ingredients and wrapping them in edgy, modern packaging, Sorry Nonna has breathed new life into a tired category. It’s not just a pasta sauce; it’s a statement, an invitation to rethink the ordinary.
Crafting Immersive Brand Worlds: The Key Ingredient
At the core of Lachlan’s work is an unwavering commitment to building brand worlds—immersive, cohesive experiences that captivate and engage. Whether he’s refining the intricate details of typographic calligraphy or developing a robust brand strategy, Lachlan approaches every project with the same goal: to create a unique and memorable experience for anyone who interacts with it.
“Design is about world building, we don’t work to badge everything with the same old logo, we want to create an immersive, living, evolving thing, that continues to tell a story and keeps you hooked”
Lachlan Philp continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in design, proving that the best brands are those that tell compelling stories and invite us to be part of them.
