SpyCast
ROLE
Graphic Designer, Project Manager
TOOLS
Illustrator, After Effects, Photoshop
About the Project
Of all of the International Spy Museum’s channels, none are as far-reaching as SpyCast - boasting 25k downloads per episode. The original podcast on intelligence since 2006, SpyCast sheds light on the past, present, and future of espionage through interviews with members of the intelligence community, historians, authors, journalists, and other content specialists.
Since 2023, I have supported the podcast creatively with weekly episode graphics, social media content, and special promotional pieces.
2023 Challenge Coin
The SpyCast team was looking for a way to thank their guests for joining them on the show, and the time-honored tradition of challenge coins fit the bill perfectly. Challenge coins are a token of appreciation popular in various military and adjacent fields (even POTUS has one!), and many try to collect them.
Engaging with this project allowed me to do deep research on the medieval art of heraldry, adding depth to the imagery chosen. These coins are now in the pockets of the powerful and influential in Washington, D.C.!
“Working with Emily was a delight, but more importantly, the final product was outstanding: considered, deeply researched, and executed with just the right combination of panache and restraint. You will struggle to find a better-designed challenge coin out there. Period.”
Special Feature
Leave it to the social media team to uncover obscure holidays to connect to our content and share great stories! The third week in April is “National Coin Week,” celebrating the hobby of collecting coins. I was asked to share my design process with SpyCast enthusiasts across our social channels.
Video by Ariel Samuel
Themed Series
A couple of times a year, the podcast team pulls together a special content series, providing additional marketing opportunities and a chance to stretch our brand.
August 2023 debuted Spy Chiefs - a series giving high-level intelligence professionals from around the world a platform to lift the veil on their work.
I created stylized graphics to share on social media and in the museum’s lobby.
Audio Visualizers
SpyCast Soundbites
In collaboration with our marketing team, I developed an ad run for Meta featuring three gripping soundbites from significant SpyCast episodes. The ad (which tested the waters for this kind of marketing) garnered 197,000 impressions and the podcast’s streams were up 4% in the month it was released.
Episode Feature
To give our episode highlight more oomph, I created an audio visualizer to help people engage with the content.
And that’s not all! Keep up with the latest from me and SpyCast wherever you get your podcasts and wherever the International Spy Museum is found online.
