As stewards of public funds, government agencies and institutions face complex challenges when they set out to amplify their story through communications.

The Berkeley Lab logo overlaying a photo of the Advanced Light Source building

How we can help

Trust Is Paramount

A relationship built on trust is at the heart of any partnership. For government institutions, and particularly any high-profile, public project, it is of the utmost importance. Our approach is built on developing strong relationships based on transparency from the start. We begin engagements with an internal audience-mapping exercise so that we can engineer the process to bring along critical voices who have a stake in the project. It is a careful, collaborative activity that helps us learn about the organization’s internal culture as we develop the project plan.

Delivering Innovation

We bring innovation and industry best practices in design thinking, strategy, and technology to government organizations. Communications teams often hear that they need to up level the organization’s brand or image to be more relevant. It can be hard to achieve from the inside while carefully managing internal resources. We bring expertise that helps you future-proof your assets and tools.

Your Vision

In the public sector, organizational hierarchy can be a hindrance. We know how to work with complex organizations to both inspire leadership to get the most out of their budgets but also to bring others on board so that our clients, who are often the executive sponsors of a project, can see their vision made manifest. We work as partners to deeply understand the dynamics, sensitivities, and fears in your organization and make things happen. We aim to propel organizations forward through the process of building buy-in and alignment. We call this approach “design therapy.”

Questions you might have

  • How does good branding help a government organization?
  • How can I best build excitement and buy-in for my project?
  • How can I communicate internally with different levels in my organization?
  • When do I need to redesign our brand or website?
  • How can I get a handle on all of our different audiences?

Screenshot of the heading of a Quantum Future article on the Berkeley Lab website.
Library card design for WCCLS
Billboard mockup with the new West Slope Library branding
Marketing print collateral mockups with the new West Slope Library branding

An animated illustration with the words “We’re Live!” with confetti falling down. Once the confetti is gone, the words change to “What Next?”
An animated gif rotating through multiple images of Smith & Connors design work including a t-shirt design, package design, logo, and business card — all against a rainbow colored gradient background.
A collage of imagery with torn edges and colored shapes representing moments from Smith & Connor's 10 Year history.

Let's build something great together.