Sustainability, design and the built environment.
I’ve lived it, written and re-written it, taken it apart and strung it back together word by word for 20+ years.
I’m inspired by what design can achieve and awed by the way designers make such eloquent sense of complexity. It’s what I strive for with language, whether writing a strategic plan or a tagline. Make it simple. Make it sing.
What else?
Critical, strategic thinking
At the heart of good communication lies good thinking. Straightup value lies not in how many, but how few words make the final cut. The goal is always to distill an idea to the fewest best words to capture and hold someone’s attention. Impossible without first cracking the core of intent and planning an approach.
Good names
I like to make ’em — through branding or outreach or both.
Good causes
Otherwise known as applying Straightup thinking wherever it’ll do the most good. Whether it’s by fostering ties to your local museum, advocating for green buildings, rethinking your story for a new generation of customers or leading a professional organization to more member-relevant ground, Straightup adds a creative, market-smart voice to the cause.
Strong creative partners
My professional communication experience began in the non-profit world (museums) where budgets are tight and missions are tall. It was broadened, deepened and solidified through thirteen years in a global architecture firm, where partners and politics matter as much as markets and messages.
Since then I’ve been flying solo, but not without support from the genius network — that talented and collaborative group of professionals who expand the Straightup circle of expertise and help make sure your story gets heard. Their skills range from market research and business development to graphic design and branding, photography and film making.
Some of the brain trust I tap as often as I can: H Street Design Studio, Group C Inc., Mahria Design, Connie Peterson &Associates, and John Mason.
Contact
Laura Johanson, LEED AP, lj(at)straightupcommunication.com
(360) 647-0869