By Katy Nally

Aw shucks, our clients and crew made our annual summer party a success! Our AW SHUCKS Party was part client appreciation, part nonstop oyster shucking, and an all-around good time. Thanks to everyone who came out last week, and for those who couldn’t join us, there’s always next time.

Each year we pull together as a team to conjure a true 2A party experience. It’s a collaborative effort that begins with deciding on a name. Once we landed on calling it our AW SHUCKS Party, we drafted and sent invitations, created an RSVP web page, and designed posters and signs.

Adding to the ambiance this year was an animated short, featuring synchronized swimming oysters and beer bottles. The mesmerizing show of twirling oyster shells and free-falling pearls surely dazzled our guests. Watch it here and see if you’re hankering for some oysters and stout afterward.

Besides our clients, friends and families, the other stars of the evening were the 480 Taylor Shellfish oysters and dozens of foamy glasses of Reuben’s Robust Porter. We purposely paired the shellfish with porter to create a briny, creamy experience. It’s an old (quite old) favorite we thought we’d try out. Having the oysters front and center also gave us the chance to use the hashtag #selfishforshellfish in our Instagram—and we’re still trying to say it three times fast.

Making its debut at our AW SHUCKS Party was our kegerator, or shall we call it R2beer2, or maybe kegasaurus? The debate still rages.

The rest of our spread was sourced from local vendors. As a Seattle-grown company, we always jump at the chance to support businesses in our community. Our dense and delicious bread was hand-crafted by Sea Wolf, and Abby provided her now-famous pickled carrots. In a wondrous display of summertime, our flower arrangements from Bleed Foot Florals included actual blackberry branches!

All in all, we set the party bar pretty high this year. 2018 has a tough act to follow. Can’t wait!

By Katy Nally

What’s your story? It’s easy to answer as an individual: you can introduce yourself, say where you’re from, what you like to do, where you work and pretty soon you’re weaving a narrative. It’s the same for businesses. But when you’re just starting out, that story can be hard to define and convey.

At 2A, we’re experts at storytelling for business. Stories anchor all that we do. Whether we’re crafting key messaging, designing logos or refining a brand, we make sure everything connects to a cohesive narrative that’s understood across audiences. In the case of Concentric Impact, we came in at the beginning and helped shape its unique story.

Jeff Kinney came to us seeking branding for his nascent sustainability accounting business. Jeff has a background in green building and transportation planning. While getting his MBA at Foster, he noticed small homebuilding companies were often overwhelmed by the full range of green building certifications. He decided to start a consulting company to provide sustainability management and reporting for small- and medium-sized businesses.

With a solid concept, Jeff came to 2A to get help with a company name, tagline, identity, design and messaging. The first step was for Jeff and our team to think through target audiences, potential clients and a go-to-market strategy. This exercise helped Jeff narrow down what consulting services he wanted to offer.

Next came messaging. “Sustainability accounting” was a good place to start—both words are easily understood, though they’re not typically paired. But both have their own connotations as well. Jeff wanted to make sure “sustainability” conveyed efficiency more than idealism. This phrase—and Jeff’s interpretation—became the foundation for our story.

From there, we built on this concept to construct a messaging guide and a company identity. We wanted his company name and logo to reflect ideals like efficiency, reporting and business rigor, and still convey sustainability accounting. Through brainstorming sessions, multiple meetings and ongoing collaboration, Jeff chose Concentric Impact and we created a simple yet memorable logo to match. The logo features the business name and the design is evocative of the efficiency of concentric circles.

Concentric Impact: Sustainability Accounting for Growth

In the end, we equipped Jeff with a messaging guide that communicates his company’s core benefits. It’s a living document that Jeff can test and refine as the story of Concentric Impact evolves.

What’s the story behind your business? Need help finding the right words and building an identity? Get in touch!

By Katy Nally

Messaging gets easier when you have something powerful to say. In the case of Pride, so much has been condensed into just one, short word. In a flash, I see the parade, the colors, the characters, but Pride also conjures emotion. All that from one word, and I haven’t even been to a Pride parade yet! But this is the year for me.

As a new consultant at 2A, I’ve been spending time exploring Capitol Hill where our office is located. With its rainbow crosswalks and establishments like Gay City, I was already aware Capitol Hill served as Seattle’s center for the LGTBQ community. But this month in particular, the neighborhood was bustling with Pride, which showed up in some very creative phrases—Plan your Pride, Dine with Pride, in Pride we Stride. After seeing Pride in storefronts, on chalkboards, and on banners on Broadway, I realized the power of this one word, and was impressed at how much it conveys.

The word “pride” has long been associated with the LGBTQ rights movement. On the first Christopher Street Liberation Day March on June 28, 1970 participants coalesced around the chant: “Say it clear, say it loud. Gay is good, gay is proud.” This first march commemorated the Stonewall Riots and was more somber than celebratory. It honored a historic night of resistance, when police raided the Stonewall Inn—a popular hangout for gay men, lesbians, drag queens and transgender people —and the patrons fought back.

Since that initial march, Pride has become both a platform and a party. The very act of being proud is simultaneously a show of support for the LGBTQ community and a cause for celebration. It’s this two-toned nature that makes Pride—and its simplified form as a rainbow—such a powerful message.

This weekend, I’ll finally see a Pride Parade in action! Seattle Pride, which hosts the parade and other Pride events, elevates issues by uniting and celebrating the LGBTQ community. Here’s to you, Pride.

By Katy Nally

I’m a sucker for tickets. In our age of consumerism, I prefer tickets to things. Tickets are temporary, but the events they grant access to leave lasting impressions that only take up memory space. Few know this better than the film industry, with the bulk of its sales tied to tickets. For them, the question is always: how do we get more butts in the seats? One answer, throw a party and make your guests feel special. Done right, that party can foster new customers.

Seattle is fortunate to have SIFF, a nationally- and internationally-renowned film organization that celebrates films and shares compelling stories with the community. SIFF hosts the largest film festival in the US—the Seattle International Film Festival, which ended with a bang on June 11 at MOHAI.

I live near SIFF Uptown and—with minimal planning—occasionally drop by to check out new movies that often make me feel cultured and connected. I’m not exactly a regular. But when an enticing SIFF email invited me to the opening night party of this year’s film festival—accented by words like gala and red carpet—I clicked on the registration link. I checked with my cinephile friend and she assured me the movie premiere followed by the “adult prom” was well worth it.

She was spot on. SIFF masterfully orchestrated an opening night party that made me feel like a celebrity. An actual red carpet led to the entrance of McCaw Hall where I joined other Seattlites who were fancified for an evening of posh society. Not only did the movie The Big Sick make me appreciate the once-dreaded “rom-com” genre, but the gala that followed was a stellar example of wining and dining to make an impression. And SIFF thoughtfully put its local partners front and center. Favorite restaurants gave out freshly made snacks, there were Dilettante Chocolates in glass bowls on the bar tables, and food trucks anchored the outdoor scene.

While an event like this takes tons of coordination and thought, the return can prove worth it. Making customers feel good can keep them coming back for more. It certainly worked on me. Later that week my friend and I attended a showing in the film festival, which I otherwise wouldn’t have suggested.

In the field of selling products, it pays to remember the value of experiences.