Dare to make enemies - Freddie Öst & Erik Kockrum (Snask)
7/5/202655 min
Radim is joined by Freddie and Erik from SNASK — the Stockholm-based studio that has spent nearly two decades building one of the most distinctive, daring creative brands on the planet. What begins as a conversation about music, inspiration, and origins unfolds into a masterclass in conviction, values-led work, and why making enemies is the most logical brand strategy there is. From their refusal to enter awards to a client who fainted getting a tattoo at a wrap party, this episode is a full-blooded reminder of what it actually looks like to stand for something — and never apologise for it.
Takeaways
- Build your brand like a rock band — with mythology, a manifesto, and the confidence to always play last
- Standing for your values creates both enemies and fans — and that is precisely the point
- Humour is far more universal than people believe; the fear of it not landing is bigger than the reality
- Making enemies isn't risky — having no position at all is the true creative catastrophe
- Great creative partnerships work by lifting each other's ideas further than either could reach alone
- "Fuck-off capital" isn't money — it's the courage to operate entirely on your own terms
- Holding clients through unfamiliar territory requires conviction and patience, not retreat
- The design industry desperately needs voices — neutral, inoffensive work doesn't just underperform, it disappears
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsFreddie Öst· Guest0:00
[upbeat music] I think it was very early, like second year of existence, we were starting to have people thinking like, oh, saying stuff about us, or They're young and naive, and they think they can do whatever they want, and blah, blah, blah. We realized that we can't and, or will never want to please everyone, and especially what we do comes from value-based opinions that we stand for. Then I think it's good that people then oppose themselves against it if they don't agree with our values. That's what they should, and also in the same way, people will then also like what we're saying because they agree with it, and the nightmare for us would be generic in the middle, and no one thinks anything about us.
Radim Malinic· Host0:47
Welcome to Daring Forever, a podcast about being human, wired for wonder, capable of courage, perpetually becoming. It's about the waves that knock us under and the strange, stubborn grace with which we surface. My name is Radim Valič. I'm an author, creative, and an eternally curious human being on a mission to speak to incredible people whom I call Forever Daring Humans, those in pursuit of an extraordinary life. Every week, I share an interview that is packed with amazing stories, value, and I can only ask you, how will you dare forever? This podcast is