While many Americans might have a vague idea about what the Department of Energy does, most are unaware how far the agency’s projects actually reach—and how many people they affect every day. When Simon came aboard as the department’s first Chief Creative Officer in 2015, he was tasked with heading a team that would develop multimedia content and strategies in order to effectively advance the mission of the DOE while also making it accessible, informative and interesting to the public. The challenge was twofold, however, as he realized this kind of work could not be created unless his team truly felt proud to represent and promote the government brand.

We took both an internal and external approach to achieve our goal of improving public (mis)perception of the Department of Energy.  We needed to modernize the face of the agency, strengthen its legitimacy and forge an emotional connection between the department and the people it serves; at the same time, we needed to generate momentum and imbue the creative team with a sense of cohesion and immediacy, which we did by implementing a project management system, conducting brainstorming sessions and establishing brand guidelines.  

In 2010, Pat Quinn was elected as governor of Illinois despite, according to statistician Nate Silver, only having a 9.4% chance of winning.

Our digital campaign received widespread of attention from other media outlets, in particular:

Our Glee parody, which ran during an actual broadcast of the show on Fox, went viral a week before the election and was critically acclaimed as one of the year’s funniest political ads.

Brady’s Dog Plan, which was described as “America’s nastiest political ad” by The Guardian.

With 371,000 students, Chicago Public Schools is the country’s third largest school district yet faces continual budget cuts, many of which directly impact after school programs.  CPS SCORE was a new program that would meet some of the extracurricular needs of area schools, but it needed public and private partnerships in order to thrive.

Before CPS SCORE launched, only 10% of students in Chicago Public Schools participated in afterschool sports. In its first year, 15,000 students from 200 schools took part in the program.

Thanks in part to our campaign showing how well the program was working, SCORE was able to raise additional funds that helped them expand the program and ensure it continued.

Created relevant content that stood out, stuck with the facts and informed voters of the policies and positions of Republican gubernatorial candidates, often resulting in earned media which provided us with additional (and free) platforms from which to spread our message.

In addition to opposition ads, in Georgia we made a concerted effort to motivate potential voters to Get Out the Vote by producing a series of videos from Stacey Abrams’ campaign trail. These were largely centered around Abrams’ rallies and conversations with supporters and focused on the reasons for citizens to head to the polls: to implement much-needed change in the state; to have their voices heard; to honor the ancestors of those who couldn’t vote; and, most importantly, to elect the best candidate for the job.

The 2018 midterm elections produced the greatest gain in governorships since 1982, flipping seven seats and maintaining control of nine others. Democrats now hold 23 seats and represent a majority of the population.

Syncro Studios worked in conjunction with DGA campaign staffs and state Democratic parties to create online video content for several tight races across the country.

We produced videos for nine states and won 5 of them.

Took a rather straightforward look at what Americans United does, who it represents and the issues it tackles.  In an effort to get others involved but also let individuals know where to get help if necessary, we focused our campaigns on the diverse range of faiths and individuals in America; highlighted lawsuits AU has undertaken as well as ones which have been decided on the basis of religion; and explored what could be at stake for the country if the wall between church and state continues to crumble.

Get Covered Illinois is the state’s Official Health Marketplace as mandated by the Affordable Care Act.  Since launching in 2013, Get Covered has been providing residents with quality healthcare while helping them navigate their insurance options, Medicaid eligibility and financial aid applications.

Extreme Stories – So you have this “friend”…your medical bills should not be as extreme as your stories.

Talking Tigers tells the story of a young woman who didn’t speak until the age of 7, when the tigers helped her find her voice.  

Talking Tigers follows Z and her mother as they recount Z’s journey from being speechless to being employed by Brookfield as part of their Project SEARCH initiative.  

A licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist, Stephanie Borkan uses techniques found in Traditional Chinese Medicine to help people restore harmony and maintain balance in their lives.

Conceived a branding package that stayed true to the lifestyle and holistic services provided, including designing her logo, developing an online identity and creating social media content.

Accompanied Stephanie to a few client sessions, where the idea of being “a fly on the wall” took on a new level of importance. We wanted to capture Stephanie in her element without disturbing the goals of the individual therapies. With some clients on board, we were allowed to quietly observe and photograph the different techniques she practices, which were later edited into a video and used on her website and social media.

The team at Equal Justice Under Law takes an ambitious, savvy and confident approach to impact litigation and policy reform on Capitol Hill, and we wanted to present their work in a way that reflected this energy while also underscoring its importance.

Designed a responsive website and blog that better showcased the firm's litigation work and advocacy impact. By utilizing a full color palette—blue, orange, yellow, purple—to lend weight to the overall aesthetic, we were able to breathe life into the somewhat monotonous labor of reforming legislation.

The new website design allowed for multiple call-to-action buttons, targeting narrower issues. This increased traffic by over 500% and helped secure $75k in unique donations within six months.

When Uber opened its first office in the Central Region in 2015, it had already made its way to several cities across the U.S. and was gaining steam in others.  Our goal was to explain Uber’s services to both potential riders and drivers, including the newly launched UberPOOL, which was being tested in Chicago.

Chicago Ideas is a non-profit organization committed to bringing together a diverse community of thinkers in order to share ideas and change the world. Through events, online resources and community programs, it allows people of different backgrounds to connect with others and spark ideas into action.

Chicago Ideas Week is an annual festival featuring over 250 global thought leaders covering dozens of topics in a series of talks, conferences and labs.

Because Chicago Ideas is intended for everyone to be able to participate, membership is critical.  We were tasked with creating a video that would explain the program, inspire new membership and remind current members of their importance.  By interviewing members, documenting the lives of participants and gathering footage of previous conferences, we cut together a video that was shown before each presentation during Chicago Ideas Week and used externally as marketing for Chicago Ideas to increase membership.    

Creative Strategy

Created the entire branding package for Choose You 365, including developing the company’s identity, honing its voice and expanding its media presence. Our goal was to let Ilysha’s exuberance shine through while clearly stating the ideology behind Choose You 365.

Website

Took control of every detail when designing Choose You 365’s website: created the logo, decided upon the layout and chose the fonts and colors. We used a palette of blues, pinks and purples to emulate the warmth and positivity Ilysha brings to the people she works with—and, also, to mirror her (current) hair color!

Social Media

As the best opportunity for Ilysha to regularly reach out to current and future clients, we wanted craft an online persona that captured her vibrant personality while speaking to her company’s mission. We narrowed her social media content to three key areas: workout ideas and tips; healthy recipes and food decisions; and positive and motivational posts.

Photography

To document Ilysha’s approach to motivating others and herself, our team accompanied her to client sessions and captured her in her home setting. These photos were used across her website and social media and for marketing purposes.