Fors Marsh

Changing Systems not Symptoms

Client: Fors Marsh, a purpose driven behavior change consultancy that services the public sector.

Deliverables: Brand Strategy

As they approached their 20 year anniversary, Fors Marsh not only needed an updated brand identity, but they needed to redefine their proposition. The organization originated as a research agency, but had since grown to offer communications and consulting too. Their breadth of services allowed for a more holistic and customized approach. In addition, their focus on public sector challenges and their BCorp status made them entirely purpose driven. Leaning into Whole Systems thinking, a method to understand how things (elements and systems) are related, and how they influence one another within a whole, I recommended that they position themselves as a multi-disciplinary team of researchers, advisors and communicators who seek to change systems not symptoms.

I also recommended that they shift from a list of capabilities to a customized process designed around client needs. I built a framework for their multi-disciplinary approach that houses their individual expertise, but also works as a 3 point system: Listen, Act, Learn.

Lastly, the brand sounded too academic and not human enough, especially for an organization that specializes in behavior change. I worked empathy into their voice, without loosing the rigor of their practice. A few of my strategic lines made it out into the world, of which the pseudo copywriter in me is very proud.

workshopbuilt - Brand Identity and Website Design / Development

ThoughtLab

Inside-out Transformation

Client: ThoughtLab, a digital transformation advisory service built to unleash emerging market companies.

Deliverables: Brand Strategy / Brand Identity / Brand Messaging / Website Design

Many times, businesses think that they need something new to be better. Yet, the solution often lies with re-thinking how to use what you’ve got or simply unlearning what you’ve traditionally done. Innovation is perceived to be newness, yet introducing something new is not always the answer to modern digital transformation. 

This is particularly true for emerging markets, where ingenuity is fueled by limitations. As a nimble digital transformation advisory, with deep emerging market experience and the ability to both strategize and execute, I positioned ThoughtLab as a hands-on consultancy that focuses on digital transformation from inside-out. And one that is not afraid of constraints, but rather embraces them.

Jonathan S. Garrett - Design

Rob Rutherford - Copy

Sidebar - Website Development

Partner’s Growth Consulting

People before Place

Client: Partner’s Growth Consulting, restaurant growth strategy.

Deliverables: Brand Strategy / Brand Identity / Brand Messaging

At the intersection of commercial real estate and the food and hospitality industry, this is a rare breed of consulting. Market growth has typically been defined by place. Borrowing from the quote, “A place is as only as good as the people in it,” I recommended that market growth should be informed by the people hospitality brands can best serve, rather than the property that they are best suited to. A boutique firm with a people-first and hands-on approach, we looked to introducing a hint of playfulness paired with a simple bold type to convey specialization.

Jonathan S. Garrett - Design

Lauren McNally - Copy

Moody Graham

Plants are Medicine

Client: Moody Graham, a landscape architecture firm in Washington D.C.

Deliverables: Brand Strategy / Brand Messaging

In a general sea of sameness, the challenge was to find a unique positioning that differentiated Moody Graham from its competitors. A value proposition and overarching message was also needed, one that was broad enough to talk to their wide client base (residential, commercial and public), but specific and unique enough that it was transferable across projects. With an ever increasing emphasis on the health and wellness benefits of nature and few local competitors owning that at the time, I recommended that they focus on the power of nature to create vibrant landscapes for healthy living, working and being. This culminated in website re-design, which was developed by Ashton Design.

Kate Noonan - Copy