telling your color story
“How do you create your color palettes?” I’ve been asked that quite a few times over the years. Sometimes to create a successful color palette I seem to rely on…
category
creativity
website redesign? Six things to consider.
six things to look for in a website redesign Every website is different; yet, the best sites always have a few things in common. As you consider a website redesign…
change the conversation: new ways to listen to your clients
paying attention to your audience We recently offered to make a referral to a partner company that was declined because of terminology. The client wanted “SEO,” the company didn’t want…
five techniques for using content to engage your audience
approaches for creating value and awareness while dispelling confusion A big part of writing and design is taking complicated messages and making them easy to understand, but also making them interesting…
landing page strategies: making the most of the most valuable real estate in the world
how web design and messaging can strengthen your brand The most valuable piece of property in the world is the seven square inches your prospective client sees when pulling up…
Poster design for KulshanCLT’s Annual Community Party
We recently completed this Poster design for KulshanCLT’s Annual Community Party. KulshanCLT wanted to hold their annual event this year in a location that most people could bike or walk…
empathy-based messaging
We recently completed an ad campaign for Cedar Male Medical, a clinic specializing in treating men to balance their testosterone levels (usually including erectile dysfunction). Our messaging strategy was based using…
Chuckanut Builders t-shirt
Long time supporters of the Subdued Stringband Jamboree, Chuckanut Builders wanted to have shirts designed and produced to wear and show their involvement with this popular event. In collaboration with…
all together now – standards and consistency
With so much marketing taking place through a multitude of different mediums and applications, the tendency is for messages to become ever more fragmented — and more easily forgotten. start…
experiences > things
A paradox of destination marketing is that while each destination is unique in its own way, the materials and messages people use for different destinations are often indistinguishable from one…
victory has a thousand parents
Years ago, my initial interpretation of the phrase “victory has a thousand parents, but defeat is an orphan” was a cynical one. My take on it was that if a…
print intentionally
Despite all predictions to the contrary, print communications still play a crucial role in how organizations reach out to their audience. Print has changed, though. It is now more an…
artwalk with us
It’s the first Friday of the month. Where will you typically find us that night? At Bellingham’s Artwalk. Downtown is bustling with people going from gallery to gallery, taking breaks…
hey, dummy
While developing a packaging concept for a high end manufacturer, we encountered some feedback from a friend of the client who recommended we take an alternate approach. His advice was,…
making choices, creating value
Making choices, creating value. I constantly think about why people value the things they do, and how design and messaging fit into that larger picture. We recently had a project…
don’t stop believing
Eric and I started commuting to work on our bikes almost a year ago. Details that were normally overlooked were suddenly noticed and studied. This particular stop sign was one…
minimalism, trust, and some really good chocolate
Research plays a crucial part of creating good design, and so a designer’s life is essentially a never ending series of opportunities to learn. The best designers are really the…
happy accidents
Francis Ford Coppola said, “Art is partly being available to accidents that fall into your lap.” I agree. I have experienced some of these seemingly lucky accidents while printing, through…
a timely debate
For over a year now, our company has been working with RE Sources for Sustainable Communities and Climate Solutions to create messaging and graphics about the coal train issue. An…
