It was quite the year.
Last year was a super successful one for us that simply put – kept us super busy. So busy that we didn’t make enough time to really share with you all that’s been going on!
The intentional evolution of our studio from a focus on traditional design to strategic brand consulting provided us with some amazing opportunities. In 2018, we’re excited to see this shift come to life in all aspects of the studio.
We had some big moments happen over the past few months (say, for instance, James and I eloping – more on that further down), so … here’s the short version of what we’ve been up to in the studio.
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New office
Yep, we got a new space! At the end of 2016, we moved into a centrally located office in downtown Martinsburg, West Virginia. Honestly, we’re still getting set up here, but we’re making this space ours. Want to visit? Shoot us an email, and let’s have coffee or a glass of wine.
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New clients
During the second year of our partnership, we were happy to start working with Families Leading Change, NIH Recreation & Welfare, Turning Point Financial, Mosaic Asset Partners, RESA, among a couple others we can’t announce just yet.
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Recognition + Awards
We won GDUSA LINK American Design Award for Church of the Good Shepherd, Good Shepherd School LINK, and the University of Maryland Heart & Vascular Center LINK(which also won the GDA Health+Wellness Design Award).We were also featured amongst some dear friends and changing-the-world colleagues in October’s GDUSA Magazine as the 2017 Responsible Designers to Watch.
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Alabama Gulf State Park
We’ve been working with the Alabama Gulf State Park Project team for over 2 years now. What started as a website job has grown into a cohesive, branded and memorable interpretive experience throughout the entire 6,150 acre Park. We’ve been hard at work researching, writing and designing engaging exhibits, interpretive signs and interactive moments to connect people to nature and each other. The finish line is in sight and we can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on later this year!
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Taking stock
All together, we celebrated rebrands, product and site launches for clients large and small – from health and wellness, financial, small and local businesses, non-profits, education, and recreation industries. We work with a very diverse group of businesses, and we wouldn’t have it any other way! We helped client’s new and old make strategic moves that helped them communicate their brands authentically to their customers. (have you seen all that we can do?)
I’m particularly proud of the work we’ve been doing locally. The successful 2nd year for the Martinsburg Farmers Market helped over 1,500 people receive locally sourced foods and goods which created growing opportunities for us. James was asked to lead the local food initiative board in partnership with Healthy Berkeley, Main Street Martinsburg, The Promise Neighborhood and more. It’s a hands-on way for us to see and experience how what we’re doing is making an impact in people’s lives.
Mawwiage. Mawwiage is what bwings us togeder…
You read right – James and I tied the knot! We took a couple days off in April and eloped at one of our favorite places.
Outside of the office, we’ve been doing a couple other things too:
- James not only started running last year, but he also completed his first half marathon at Freedom’s Run in Shepherdstown, WV! We’ll be running more races together in 2018, and I can’t wait!
- In November, I visited the IBM offices in Raleigh, NC, to take part in their Design Thinking Facilitation Training.
Phew! The past year brought about a lot of newness for us, as well as new experiences, and a wealth of giddy-up, let’s-do-this, excitement for 2018. What’s that mean for you? Well…:
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Case studies
We’re going to do some deeper dives that show you what all’s involved in a project–from idea to implementation. Our hope is that by sharing the process and strategy behind the project, you’ll recognize ways that one of our steps can help your business, or how we can work with you to help with your next steps.
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More content
We’ll be sharing our expertise and experience by providing tips and resources that you can readily utilize within your business or company—plus we’re going to do better at letting you know what we’re up to. Look for a couple more emails in your inbox throughout the year, as well as a more active social media (find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram LINKS).
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Community Collaboration
Through our local efforts, we’ve made some great friends that share the same heart and goals that we do for our local downtown. Our downtown saw big changes in 2017. In 2018, we’re ready to kick it up another notch. We want to grow our community impact and see downtown businesses thriving in 2018. We’ll be sharing how we’re partnering with others to make a bigger and even better impact very soon.
Us + You in 2018.
Many of you know that we’re a boutique studio for a reason. We like knowing who we’re serving and the direct relationships that come from working closely with you. As we grow, we’re making thoughtful choices about who we’re bringing in and partnering with to make client experiences with Hersick+Webster even better.
I’m excited about our continued success, especially because it highlights a path ahead that’s filled with doing more of what we love, for causes and people that we support. Thanks to our clients and friends — our partners (different word for champions) — we couldn’t do this without your amazing support!
Let’s do this, 2018! Cheers!
