Seahawks Soar to Victory

By Kris Travis | Feb 3, 2014

The Seahawks swooped in for a historic win last night. I could talk about the game, or the ads, or the massive hangover all of Seattle likely has this morning, but there will be plenty of that in the coming days. So, how about a little art and design in honor of the victors… (First, […]

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Grant Leaves Grammys Early–A Media Sin?

By Ann Smith | Jan 30, 2014

Christian music star Natalie Grant caused a media stir Sunday night when she left the Grammys early. Grant never cited the particular reason she left on, but media outlets were keen to guess. Many suspected it had to do with several risqué performances including Jay-Z and Beyonce’s sexy “Drunk in Love” duet, and Katy Perry’s “satanic” […]

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Wrestling With Your Writing

By Ann Smith | Jan 18, 2014

Interviewer: How much rewriting do you do? Hemingway: It depends. I rewrote the ending of Farewell to Arms, the last page of it, 39 times before I was satisfied. Interviewer: Was there some technical problem there? What was it that had stumped you? Hemingway: Getting the words right. – Ernest Hemingway, The Paris Review Interview, […]

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Not what — WHY.

By Kris Travis | Jan 15, 2014

While it’s not especially new, I was just recently introduced to the concept of the Golden Circle,  a philosophy around marketing that recognizes a brand’s purpose, cause, belief, its WHY first, and then moves outward toward selling its WHAT. Many companies will frame their marketing around 1) what they do, 2) how they do it, […]

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Happy Word Nerd Day!

By Ann Smith | Jan 9, 2014

Today is National Word Nerd Day (although some feel strongly that it was yesterday…who are we to judge?).  We are celebrating with our friends (and clients) at the American Copy Editors Society (ACES).  Check out the great guest articles by ACES Board member Karen Martwick in PRNewser and ragan.com.  Now go unleash your inner word […]

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Five Good Design Habits to Practice in 2014

By Kris Travis | Dec 4, 2013

Whoa, December already?! On top of all the holiday craziness, December is an important month for businesses to do a bit of planning and goal-setting for the new year. (If New Year’s resolutions are the last thing your business is thinking about right now, bookmark this post to review once you’ve recovered from the holiday […]

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GMA Correspondent Shares Her Breast Cancer Diagnosis On-Air

By Kelda Rericha | Nov 14, 2013

I love when TV does good. On Monday morning (11/11/13) Amy Robach of ‘Good Morning America’ shared her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment choice with viewers. It was a diagnosis she got after receiving an on-air mammogram in early October. Her choice is to treat the cancer aggressively, opting for a double mastectomy. Details  on […]

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Just Do It!

By Ann Smith | Oct 25, 2013

Nike is known for having a lingering PR headache. With oversea child sweatshops and troubled sponsored athletes, I can only imagine Nike’s PR team is on overdrive most of the time. This weekend was no exception. On Sunday I ran in the Nike Women’s Marathon down in San Francisco. 30,000 people (majority women) gathered at […]

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Beacon – A New Site to Fund Writers

By Ann Smith | Sep 28, 2013

An interesting find I thought I would pass along – Beacon! Beacon, the Netflix for journalism, is a site where the public can access articles by personally funding their favorite writers. For $5 a month, readers can log on to www.beaconreader.com and decide what writers and stories get published instead of advertisers. Public relations professionals […]

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Party on the River

By Ann Smith | Jul 25, 2013

The Human Access Project wants to change the way Portland thinks about the Willamette. Ah, the mighty Willamette. It’s a beautiful river that serves as a landmark, an industrial thoroughfare and an integral part of Portland life. And, if you’re like most people who’ve spent some time in the Portland area, you’re as likely to […]

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