Q: You recently made a shift from account services to strategy—can you talk us through how that came to be and how your time on the account team influences how you approach strategy?

A: 3RC has a very collaborative culture so even when I was a member of the account team I was able to work with the team on strategy for various client projects. I’ve always enjoyed getting to understand a brand’s “why”, helping them define their personality, and seeing how that shows up in everything they do.

With the strategy team expanding, I saw the perfect chance to transition into a role I’d been drawn to for a long time. I’m grateful to be at an organization that encourages that kind of growth.

Q: What’s been one of your biggest learning moments since stepping into a strategy role?

A: Working sessions with our Sr. Content Strategist and our Head of Accounts and Strategy have been invaluable. Observing the questions they ask has helped me assess where I need to expand my curiosity as a strategist and ensure I’m asking the right ones. There are so many angles to the projects we work on, and a big learning moment has been finding the balance between curiosity and staying on track.

Q: What do you enjoy most about crafting strategy that helps clients achieve their goals?

A: What I enjoy most is the collaboration—there’s still so much I’m learning from both my internal team and our clients. Whether we’re reviewing competitive landscapes internally or walking through a content map with a client, hearing their perspectives and seeing where our thinking aligns has helped me grow a lot this year.

Q: What’s one project you’ve worked on recently that you’re especially excited about, and why was it so impactful for the client?

A: In 2024, I worked on the Schwab Small Business Hub Redesign, and it was an exciting project because of the depth of qualitative audience research that shaped our approach. It was rewarding to help refine the hub in a way that directly addressed user needs, making it easier for small business owners to take the next step with confidence.

If you’d like to learn more about what our strategy team can do for you, send us a message.

Breaking barriers, setting standards

The contributions of these and other pioneers extend far beyond their individual achievements, as they have caused greater shifts:

• Challenging industry norms – Redefining how Black consumers and diverse audiences are portrayed in media.
• Expanding representation – Creating space for more inclusive storytelling that reflects the richness of different cultures and communities.
• Empowering future generations – Providing inspiration, mentorship, and career pathways for Black creatives and industry leaders.
• Driving cultural change – Influencing not just advertising, but broader societal conversations about race, identity, and inclusivity.

Progress with purpose

At 3RC, we are committed to integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into every stage of our creative process. We do this by:

• Developing resources – We’ve organized our DEI principles into documents that guide everything from our strategy to creative development.
• Empowering conversations – Our team is equipped with knowledge and data to advocate for representation in marketing.
• Championing authenticity – Crafting narratives that reflect real, diverse experiences.

If you have any questions about how to foster authentic representation in marketing or want to learn more about our DEI initiatives, send us a message; we’d love to connect.

Stark: Accessibility is a key consideration in all our design work, and Stark helps us ensure we’re meeting high standards. From checking color contrasts to simulating different types of color blindness, it helps us create designs that are truly inclusive.

f.lux: Hours in front of screens are often unavoidable in our line of work, and we take eye health seriously. f.lux automatically adjusts your screen color based on the time of day, reducing eye strain and potentially improving sleep patterns for our night owls.

Physical notebooks: Despite our digital focus, we still find value in jotting down ideas and action items using good old fashioned pen and paper.

That’s a wrap. We hope you enjoyed reading about a few of our favorite tools and apps we use here at 3RC.

We’re always on the lookout for new tools to enhance our process. If you’ve got a favorite app or platform that’s changed your work life, we’d love to hear about it.

Collaboration: The key to success

Our work with Collabry was part in-depth analysis, part creative exploration, and, fittingly, part collaboration.

Through many rewarding discussions, we refined their vision, bounced ideas back and forth, and brainstormed concepts.

Throughout the process, we maintained a shared commitment to finding the perfect expression of Collabry’s brand and pushing the boundaries of what their brand is and could become, which resulted in many additional ideas for future executions post-launch.

As we progressed, the logo, visual elements, and overall brand package came together to form a brand identity that told Collabry’s story in a truly meaningful way.

Our team found the project both inspiring and exciting, noting how Collabry’s openness and shared love for creativity allowed for innovative exploration. This mutual enthusiasm ultimately fueled the creation of a brand identity with depth and versatility.

Ultimately, there’s much to learn beyond our usual roles, both personally and professionally. Copywriters can pick up tips from designers, and designers can learn from the account team. More experienced team members can share how they might approach a challenge, or someone new to the team might view a project with a fresh perspective. Showcases play a large role in one of our core values, “Evolve as we learn.”

A few tips for implementing Showcases

If you’d like to see what sort of insights or breakthroughs showcases could bring your team, here are a few tips to consider:

• Start small: Try the format with a small team to see how it works. Once or twice a month for 30 minutes can be a great start.
• Be consistent: It’s more important to be consistent than perfect. You don’t need a detailed presentation; a few slides can be more than enough to get the conversation going.
• Set an example: Leadership should encourage participation, actively support the process, and even participate and lead their own.
• Mix it up: Bring in a variety of teams whenever possible. One of the biggest perks is the cross-team learning that happens.

Our weekly Showcases at 3RC have been a game-changer. They’ve boosted our communication, improved the quality of our work, and built a more supportive and inclusive culture. Based on the many benefits we’ve seen, we encourage our clients to consider implementing Showcases themselves.

The results could be transformative, just as they’ve been for us at 3RC.

Here are a few of our biggest takeaways from the conference:

• Holistic Vision: Presentations that sell a big idea, not just design elements, resonate more effectively with clients.
• Practical Mockups: Providing clients with contextual mockups can help them see how specific design choices might fit in a broader context.
• Diverse Approaches: Seeing different presentation styles and team structures broadened our understanding and inspired new strategies we can apply at 3RC.

Here’s what our designers said about the experience:

Beyond professional growth, the conference was also a great team bonding adventure. Our designers returned with fresh perspectives on the latest design trends, and it was exciting for the team to connect and share experiences beyond the screen.

As we continue to reflect on the conference, we’re more motivated than ever to implement fresh ideas into our work.