Laurel Black Branding + Communications

12/22/2025

Hey folks, here's a great opportunity for a year-end gift to my favorite non-profit, Feiro Marine LIfe Center:
For a limited time, your gift can go twice as far thanks to a late-breaking 1:1 matching challenge. From Monday, December 22 through December 31, 2025, every dollar you give to Feiro Marine Life Center’s will be matched to our general fund —doubling your impact on marine conservation and environmental education. this thanks to our generous Board President Kathy Charlton. Your year-end gift helps ensure that:
* Students continue to receive hands-on, science-based learning
* Teachers have access to trusted, accessible environmental resources
* Our community remains informed, engaged, and resilient

Every dollar invested locally goes farther—creating meaningful impact right here at home.

Give today to double your impact through this limited-time matching opportunity and stand up for environmental education and marine conservation when it matters most. Thanks so much!

12/02/2025

THIS GIVING TUESDAY, HELP US HARNESS THE HEADWINDS!

Feiro Marine Life Center has been a safe harbor for learning and exploration for over 40 years.

This year, we've faced strong currents. But with your support, we're harnessing the headwinds to continue
— Delivering marine science education
— Protecting maine life
— Building toward our future Marine Discovery Center.

On this global day of giving, you can turn generosity into momentum:
Give today: feiromarinelifecenter.org/donate
Thank you!

06/27/2025

The new edition of Creative Smarts Monthly is out and has a brand new look! That's because I just rebranded my creative services firm to reflect my focus on branding and communications. Nothing like taking your own advice! Read allabout it here:

Check out my rebranding LBBC Is Live! As I mentioned in last month’s issue of Creative Smarts, I have been working hard on rebranding my creative services firm, and I am super proud to announce the launch of Laurel Black Branding + Communications! This rebrand represents a pivot of my services to ...

06/26/2025

The new edition of Creative Smarts Monthly is out and has a new look! That's because I have rebranded my creative services firm to reflect my focus on branding and communications - nothing like taking your own advice! Read all about it here:

Check out my rebranding LBBC Is Live! As I mentioned in last month’s issue of Creative Smarts, I have been working hard on rebranding my creative services firm, and I am super proud to announce the launch of Laurel Black Branding + Communications! This rebrand represents a pivot of my services to ...

09/18/2024

The latest issue of Creative Smarts Monthly is out, in which I explore whether marketing is gross or good. See the answer here:
https://t.e2ma.net/webview/a0yovj/84cfe9fb3a802e17faca69bf118516ce

07/18/2024

New issue of Creative Smarts is out! Learn about the pitfalls of "free" online content:

Or, there goes your branding. When “Free” Isn’t: The Downside of Using Free Online Content All organizations work to maximize their resources, especially staff time and capital. So using materials found on the web can seem like a real windfall, especially with the advent of artificial intellig...

03/27/2024

Does your organization have a tag line? Or need a better one? Here's some inspiration/information to get you going - it's all in this month's Creative Smarts Quarterly. And if you want to get CSM directly in your inbox, look for the sign-up link at the bottom.

Taglines are great marketing tools and a big part of branding. Consider a Tagline for Your Enterprise For a brand to be memorable, it’s a great advantage to have a distinctive tagline. Your name, logo and tagline should all work together to create a cohesive message that communicates your company....

10/30/2023

New issue of Creative Smarts Monthly! For October, we have another Why article: Why designers don't provide concepts before they're hired. Client input has to happen first - read about it here:

Another way to put the cart before the horse Why Designers Don’t Provide Design Concepts Before They’re Hired Last month we looked at why web content needs to be created before web development starts, which got a lot of atta-girls, notably from my two favorite tech nerds (looking at you,Pam and ...

09/28/2023

Putting the cart before the horse? Read the new issue of Creative Smarts Monthly and find out why web design should always come before web development:

Putting the cart before the horse? Why We Need to Do Our Web Content Before We Start Web Development A successful online presence is the front door to your organization, and first impressions count. As the cornerstone of your marketing and communications, it should reflect all that’s outstanding a...

07/31/2023

Are your marketing materials just not floating your boat anymore? Check out the latest issue of Creative Smarts:

Time for an upgrade? Help! My Logo/ Website/Brochure Doesn't Work I often get calls from organizations who already have a logo and/or marketing materials, but have become dissatisfied with them. The reasons can range from the specific (they’ve evolved into a different market or client base; what w...

04/26/2023

The latest issue of Creative Smarts Monthly explains the importance of understanding your market's pain points and why knowing what those are is key to your organization's success. Read it here:

How offering solutions to customers' problems builds loyalty and trust. Understanding Your Market's Pain Points:The Key to Effective Marketing Many customers assume that marketing is all about the hard sell and therefore think it’s an icky, exploitative process. That is marketing done badly. Done ...

02/08/2023

Feeling stressed by all the Chicken Little blah-blah about a coming recession? The newest edition of Creative Smarts Monthly has another way to look at it:

Time to Market! Recession, Schmecession There has been a lot of speculation in the media recently about whether there will be a recession in the coming year. I’m no stranger to recessions – I have been continuously in business through six or seven of them. Among other things, I’ve learned that...