Artful Problem Solving at work

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.

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.

Artful Problem Solving Through the Eyes of an Educator

Musings & Advice
Brand lessons we learned from design thinking teacher, Rhiannon Boyd

Making Color Work for You

Brand Expression
How to harness the power of color to set your brand apart

What Are They Thinking? Understanding the Minds of Consumers

Market Trends
Insights from neuromarketing that will change the way you think about research

5 Ways of Designing Better Customer Experiences

Brand Experience
How to bring your brand to life

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
Box of vintage, black and white photographs

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.

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.

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).

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?

Extreme Joe Makeover

Brand Expression
How we transformed our own identity.

One wall at a time

Musings & Advice
Driving transformative change that touches an entire community.

In defense of the "no duh"

Musings & Advice
Why the simpler answer is often better.

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?
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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.

Joe Smith wins six Transform Awards North America

Work
Not that we're bragging or anything...

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.
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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.
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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.

Looking beyond brand humanity

Musings & Advice
And where brands should be looking instead...

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.
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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.
Got a brand problem?
Got a customer problem?
Got a culture problem?
Got an identity problem?
Got a recruiting problem?
Got a messaging problem?
Got an all-of-the-above problem?
Got a brand problem?
Got a customer problem?
Got a culture problem?
Got an identity problem?
Got a recruiting problem?
Got a messaging problem?
Got an all-of-the-above problem?

Put Artful Problem Solving to work for you.