Artful Problem Solving
Perhaps your challenge falls neatly within the realm of brand. Maybe it's more ambiguous. Instead of throwing logos and taglines at every client in need, we assess your opportunity and let that determine the deliverables.
We call it Artful Problem Solving—a brand-focused, people-first way to change your business for the better.
These four tenets make Artful Problem Solving an asset to anyone looking to spark change in their organization.
Strategic Rigor
Obsessing over objectives. Challenging assumptions. Seeking the root of the problem, not the symptom.
Beautiful Utility
Marrying form and function to move hearts, move minds, and move the needle for your business.
Human Touch
Putting a face to the data to forge a more meaningful connection between employees, customers, and collaborators.
Ripple Effects
Seeking solutions that transcend the brief and transform cultures and communities for the better.
Artful Problem Solving in action
How to uncover the true values of your employer brand
Employer Brand
You launched the campaigns, hung the posters, and held the town hall. So why didn't it work? Because your organization's true values may lie in the shadows...
What the heck is an employer brand?
Employer Brand
In a world where talent have choices (and boy, do they have choices), a strong employer brand isn’t just nice to have–it’s your secret weapon for building a team that doesn’t just show up, but shows up ready to move mountains.
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The Art of Connection: Brand Insights from a Poet Laureate
Musings & Advice
Unpacking how Richmond’s first Poet Laureate, Roscoe Burnems, uses the principles of Artful Problem Solving to elevate poetry and inspire community connection, and how these insights can transform your brand strategy.
Renaming your brand: who cares and why it matters
Brand Strategy
Undergoing a corporate rename can feel laden with risks. But there is one simple, guiding question that can make this crossroads easier to navigate.
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Artful Problem Solving Through the Eyes of an Educator
Musings & Advice
Brand lessons we learned from design thinking teacher, Rhiannon Boyd
What Are They Thinking? Understanding the Minds of Consumers
Market Trends
Insights from neuromarketing that will change the way you think about research
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The 5 P’s of Effective Brand Management
Brand Strategy
How to reinforce your brand strategy without creating a culture of brand police
Where Method Meets Magic: Brand Lessons from Hip Hop Dancers
Musings & Advice
Artful Problem Solving with Richmond Urban Dance
Brand Legacy: How to Honor the Past in the Present
Brand Strategy
Should you shed your past or cling to it? It's an age-old dilemma for "storied brands", and we have answers.
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3 Obstacles Every B2B Brand Marketer Needs to Overcome
Brand Expression
You have dreams of brand growth, and you know long-term brand campaigns are your ticket. Here's how to overcome the headwinds that stand in your way.
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Can you swear your way to a better workplace culture?
Employer Brand
Ushering in a new era of “oh $#*!” in the workplace to enhance team dynamics and employee experience.
The (Brand) Doctor Will See You Now
Musings & Advice
Is your brand suffering from mysterious misalignments and chronic apathy? It may be time to get a proper diagnosis.
Brand Strategy During M&As: Vital Yet Often Overlooked
Brand Strategy
What happens to your brand when you decide to sell your company? Or acquire a business with its own brand? Lauren Tannenbaum went on The Transaction Abstract podcast to talk about the three biggest considerations companies should keep in mind when they are in an M&A (be it as the acquiree or acquirer).
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The Ups, Downs, and Leaps of Building a Brand
Embarking on a brand project can be an emotional journey. We're here to guide you through it.
The X Factor: Experiences That Advance Your Brand
Brand Experience
How a smart experience strategy can distinguish your brand and leave a lasting impression.
Forging our new brand identity
Brand Strategy
At long last, we answer your most burning question: who is Joe Smith?!
What does the data really say about working from home?
Employer Brand
The WFH debate as understood in 2023
What desire lines teach us about brand governance
Brand Expression
Desire lines show us the importance of observation and responding to the needs of your users—or in the world of brand, your customers and employees.
Brand Forensics Episode 2: The Mistake
Brand Strategy
Digging in deeper we look at where the execution of the Max launch diverged from the likely business strategy behind it (i.e., where it all went wrong).
Brand Forensics Episode 1: The Max Launch
Brand Strategy
Even as the dust begins to settle, MAX has remained a topic of keen interest and heated debate among the Joe Smith Team. Was it a good idea? Why did they do it? And then ultimately: where did it go wrong?
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How to build a brand employees want to stick with
Brand Experience
Creating a culture where employees can connect with your brand's identity leads to loyalty and talent retention...but how do you do it?
Joe Smith’s Brands to Watch 2023
News & Trends
The market trends that have caught our eye and the brands that are poised to make the most of them in 2023.
Have you friended your favorite brands?
Musings & Advice
Why making new friends and trying new products can feel the same.
Fitness brands build success by removing barriers
Brand Experience
Want to improve your customer experience? Start by clearing the hurdles.
Picking the right resolution to design your customer experience
Brand Experience
Is your focus on your customer journey too general or too detailed? Here's how to get it right.
Banking for humans: Don’t lose the person in the numbers
Brand Experience
Great banks require humans helping humans.
5 In 5: Customer experiences worth keeping
News & Trends
There were a few bright spots from the Pandemic days.
Focus your post-pandemic evolution with familiar strategy tools
Brand Strategy
In critical times, strategic planning is a critical priority.
3 ways to better brainstorming
Brand Strategy
So you can stop awkwardly waiting for someone to speak up...
4 questions to better brand storytelling
Brand Strategy
4 questions to ask yourself when enhancing your brand storytelling.
What this year's top films can teach us about brand strategy (Part 2)
Brand Strategy
We take a look at this year's top films and what they can teach us about brand strategy.
Brands becoming themselves: LEGO
Brand Expression
How to bypass trends and create a visual identity built to last.
Brands create expectations. Experiences reinforce them. (Part 2)
Brand Experience
How brand experiences can reinforce the expectations that brands have created.
Brands create expectations. Experiences reinforce them. (Part 1)
Brand Experience
What expectations are you giving customers—and are you living up to them?
What needs to end for the sake of creativity?
Musings & Advice
Creativity is just as much about stopping as it is about starting.
Employee experience: A design challenge
Brand Experience
The average person will spend 90,000 at work. How can we design an experience that makes those hours better?
The cherry and the sundae: A recipe for customer experience
Brand Experience
Sometimes the cherry on top is more than just a compliment. Take a look at how customer experience can solidify brand objectives.
Loop: The future of packaging?
News & Trends
How this zero-waste platform could change the way we consume household goods.
What this year's top films can teach us about brand strategy (Part 1)
Brand Strategy
We take a look at this years top films and what they can teach about brand strategy.
Out of chaos and into the moment
Musings & Advice
Chaos can become our norm if we don't take time to create and be in the moments.
Why work with us?
It is truly a pleasure collaborating with you. Beyond your knowledge and expertise, you are just amazing human beings!
Glenda Gilcorado, Global Director, Talent Management, Diversity & Inclusion, Saputo
This project was a catalyst for change, and it’s created the momentum to achieve our aspirations as a leading lifestyle brand.
Chad Reece, VP Government and Industry Relations, Winnebago
Joe means business
But what business means to us is something deeper. It’s people coming together to solve problems that are too wicked to tackle alone. And creating change that ripples throughout an organization and out into the world.
I was so pleased to find someone who's not afraid to go out on a limb and take a creative risk…And let me tell you, it has paid off.
Elizabeth Pelly, Owner, Feast / Merrie Mill Farm & Vineyard
Joe is not <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">prefect</span> perfect
Because what does “perfect” get you, but something that fails to offend or excite in equal measure? We believe in bold moves, inspired stories, and evidence of human life in every interaction.
Our Joe Smith partners truly served as an extension of our own team. From ideation to execution, they were there for it all.
- Christie Bernardy, Senior Communications Director, Medtronic
Joe is not the point
We’re not in this for the IP, the platform, the proprietary process in four alliterative steps. We’re in this because you have a problem to solve. And with the right approach* we can turn it into a transformative opportunity.
*That may happen to consist of four alliterative steps
I don't know why I didn't reach out to them sooner!
-Future You
Let's Talk
Let's Talk
I don't know why I didn't reach out to them sooner!
-Future You
Our Joe Smith partners truly served as an extension of our own team. From ideation to execution, they were there for it all.
- Christie Bernardy, Senior Communications Director, Medtronic
I was so pleased to find someone who's not afraid to go out on a limb and take a creative risk…And let me tell you, it has paid off.
Elizabeth Pelly, Owner, Feast / Merrie Mill Farm & Vineyard
This project was a catalyst for change, and it’s created the momentum to achieve our aspirations as a leading lifestyle brand.
Chad Reece, VP Government and Industry Relations, Winnebago
It is truly a pleasure collaborating with you. Beyond your knowledge and expertise, you are just amazing human beings!
Glenda Gilcorado, Global Director, Talent Management, Diversity & Inclusion, Saputo