It’s a quiet Tuesday morning when you spot it: a flashy school flyer featuring the mascot rendered as a slick, colorful cartoon akin to a breakfast cereal commercial. No logo, brand colors or fonts, and definitely no district approval. Just pure, unbridled AI image generation courtesy of a well-meaning staff member.
It’s a quiet Tuesday morning when you spot it: a flashy school flyer featuring the mascot rendered as a slick, colorful cartoon akin to a breakfast cereal commercial. No logo, brand colors or fonts, and definitely no district approval. Just pure, unbridled AI image generation courtesy of a well-meaning staff member.
It’s a quiet Tuesday morning when you spot it: a flashy school flyer featuring the mascot rendered as a slick, colorful cartoon akin to a breakfast cereal commercial. No logo, brand colors or fonts, and definitely no district approval. Just pure, unbridled AI image generation courtesy of a well-meaning staff member.
Note: There are many different AI image generators (and more every day). These tips reflect our design team’s experience (as of April 2026) with the tools that have worked well for us, namely ChatGPT, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. Your mileage may vary!What AI does...
Whether an organization is responding to a major incident, a school safety concern, a weather closure, or a fast-moving rumor, the communications challenge is often the same: share accurate information quickly, clearly, and responsibly. Why does this matter? In a...
Mass communication tools help districts send urgent messages through multiple channels at the same time, including text messages (SMS), emails, and automated voice calls.[dsm_icon_list icon_color="#D4217D" icon_background_color="RGBA(255,255,255,0)"...
What does 'normal and regular' communication practices mean?In Washington state, public school districts must follow strict guidelines around the use of public resources in elections and during election periods. The state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) provides...
Key RCWs and Implementation ExamplesWhen you're adding required content to your website, try to balance what your users need with what the rules say you have to include. The good news is that most of this info won’t need regular updates, so you can usually handle it...
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...
Start Before the Sirens The best crisis communications don’t begin during a crisis. They start with relationships, planning, and clear internal workflows. Build your plan now, not during an emergency. Draft holding statements Identify your spokespeople Create a...
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...
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...