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Case Studies
Turbocharging your marketing strategy with HubSpot
While meeting with the ESD-U team to review their communications plan, we identified a crucial need for a Customer Management System. Read on to discover how we tackled and successfully delivered this project.
Turbocharging your marketing strategy with HubSpot
While meeting with the ESD-U team to review their communications plan, we identified a crucial need for a Customer Management System. Read on to discover how we tackled and successfully delivered this project.
Turbocharging your marketing strategy with HubSpot
While meeting with the ESD-U team to review their communications plan, we identified a crucial need for a Customer Management System. Read on to discover how we tackled and successfully delivered this project.
Using research & strategy to achieve a 94% bond and levy success rate
The Challenge The pandemic and increasing political polarization have put schools at the forefront of culture wars that have adversely affected community support for school funding measures. School bond measures in Washington require a 60% supermajority to pass, and...
Organizing content for the web
The Challenge Prevent Coalition had a landing page for their Secure Your Cannabis campaign, which targets retailers, community partners and parents in the effort to prevent marijuana use by youth. In the beginning, the page started out small with just a few images and...
Short form video increases user engagement
In this case study, we explore how two school districts saw a 30%+ increase in social media reach by using a short form video strategy, compared to their average reach before publishing short form videos.Why Embrace Short Form Video? Social media is a rapidly growing...
Crisis Communications: Lessons from the 2025 Safety Summit
When a crisis hits, communication can either foster trust, or damage it. At this year’s School Safety Summit, I led a session with other area communicators, “Communicating Through Crisis,” that offered practical strategies to prepare, respond, and recover with clarity and confidence.
Here are key takeaways from the session to help you plan ahead:
Tips & Tricks
Crisis Communications: Lessons from the 2025 Safety Summit
When a crisis hits, communication can either foster trust, or damage it. At this year’s School Safety Summit, I led a session with other area communicators, “Communicating Through Crisis,” that offered practical strategies to prepare, respond, and recover with clarity and confidence.
Here are key takeaways from the session to help you plan ahead:
Tips & Tricks
Crisis Communications: Lessons from the 2025 Safety Summit
When a crisis hits, communication can either foster trust, or damage it. At this year’s School Safety Summit, I led a session with other area communicators, “Communicating Through Crisis,” that offered practical strategies to prepare, respond, and recover with clarity and confidence.
Here are key takeaways from the session to help you plan ahead:
Crisis Communications: Lessons from the 2025 Safety Summit
When a crisis hits, communication can either foster trust, or damage it. At this year’s School Safety Summit, I led a session with other area communicators, “Communicating Through Crisis,” that offered practical strategies to prepare, respond, and recover with clarity and confidence.
Here are key takeaways from the session to help you plan ahead:
Creating powerful presentations
Open with a Good Story Hook your audience from the first slide. You don’t need to be able to cite Shakespeare. In fact, sharing a relatable story in your own words can help set the tone and draw people in.Design for Clarity, Not Complexity Stick with clean and...
Crafting accessible presentations
NOTE: These tips do not replace the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. Always refer to these guidelines and recommendations above anything else.Designing Accessible Presentations from the Start Presentations are a powerful way to share ideas, but like...
Staying on the Right Side of Copyright and Licensing Laws
Copyright Basics by the Book Copyright is automatic: Once an image or font is created, it’s protected—no registration is required by the creator. Copyright protects usage: Copying, distributing, or modifying requires permission unless an exception like fair use...
Shop Talk
Best practices for communicating about school safety
School safety is a deeply important topic for both school staff and families. Communication plays a key role in helping families understand the steps schools are taking behind the scenes to keep our communities safe. We sat down with Justine, one of our communications professionals who supports districts in Southwest Washington, to talk about how to approach this important topic with clarity, consistency, and care.
Best practices for communicating about school safety
School safety is a deeply important topic for both school staff and families. Communication plays a key role in helping families understand the steps schools are taking behind the scenes to keep our communities safe. We sat down with Justine, one of our communications professionals who supports districts in Southwest Washington, to talk about how to approach this important topic with clarity, consistency, and care.
Best practices for communicating about school safety
School safety is a deeply important topic for both school staff and families. Communication plays a key role in helping families understand the steps schools are taking behind the scenes to keep our communities safe. We sat down with Justine, one of our communications professionals who supports districts in Southwest Washington, to talk about how to approach this important topic with clarity, consistency, and care.
Presenting to school leaders about school district storytelling
What was it like to present at the 2024 AWSP/WASA Summer Conference? It was such a great experience. I loved connecting with a room full of other school leaders who are all working to find new ways to communicate with our unique communities. It felt good to share...
Sharing the joy: Capturing the best event photos for social media
What’s the first thing you think about when you’re framing a shot at a school event? Justine: When I’m framing a shot at a school event, I try to feature people as the focal point whenever possible. It’s most effective to show people interacting with one another and...
How our team utilizes AI to enhance communications
How are you incorporating AI tools into your communications work?My AI usage focuses primarily on visual content. I regularly use AI tools within Photoshop for image enhancement, including subject removal and content fill-in when resizing images. The AI Smart...
Interview with Rick Parrish about safety communications and wearing many hats
From an accountant to a marketer to a newspaper publisher to a school communicator and operations manager, Rick Parrish has worn a lot of hats in the course of his career. Now starting his 8th year with Longview Public Schools, our Senior Designer, Melissa, picked Rick’s brain about his professional journey and Longview’s school safety communications.
Communicator Spotlight
Interview with Rick Parrish about safety communications and wearing many hats
From an accountant to a marketer to a newspaper publisher to a school communicator and operations manager, Rick Parrish has worn a lot of hats in the course of his career. Now starting his 8th year with Longview Public Schools, our Senior Designer, Melissa, picked Rick’s brain about his professional journey and Longview’s school safety communications.
Interview with Rick Parrish about safety communications and wearing many hats
From an accountant to a marketer to a newspaper publisher to a school communicator and operations manager, Rick Parrish has worn a lot of hats in the course of his career. Now starting his 8th year with Longview Public Schools, our Senior Designer, Melissa, picked Rick’s brain about his professional journey and Longview’s school safety communications.
Interview with Hailey about juggling priorities and what makes designers irreplaceable
Have you always wanted to work in a creative career? Since high school, I knew I wanted to work in a marketing/communications career. It wasn't until college that I realized it was specifically graphic design that I wanted to focus on. Once I learned the freedom that...
Interview with Anna about being flexible and creative in photography and communications
What made you pursue a career in communications and design? I have always loved creative hobbies like photography, drawing, and designing/making things. I also have a (frustratingly) "particular" brain that loves rules, numbers, and procedures, which made an entirely...
Interview with Kirsten Fitterer about embracing AI and the power of community
Kirsten's first day at kindergarten at YSDHow long have you worked for Yakima School District? I began my journey with YSD in May 2015 and am now in my 10th school year. How did you get started with Communications? My first career was as the office manager for a real...