Case Study: Communicating Complex Work with Clarity
Scope: Strategic Communications, Web Development, Content Planning, Design, Video
The Challenge:
Healthy Whatcom is a community-driven initiative working across sectors to address systemic public health issues through collaboration, policy, and equity-based frameworks.
Despite doing vital work, the initiative struggled with fragmented communications, limited visibility, and a website that wasn’t helping stakeholders—or the public—fully understand their purpose or progress.
With a new multi-year plan underway and an expanding network of partners, Healthy Whatcom needed a clearer, more organized communications system that could explain their approach, energize engagement, and support transparency.
Our Approach:
We began with a thorough communications audit, reviewing everything from the website and social media to internal updates, newsletters, and public documents.
From there, we developed a comprehensive strategy focused on message clarity, accessibility, and self-sustainability, ensuring the Healthy Whatcom team could maintain momentum with minimal lift.
Website Strategy & Redesign
- Built a custom WordPress theme designed around content clarity and user needs
- Rewrote and reorganized site content to emphasize layered messaging: quick takeaways for newcomers, with detailed breakdowns available on deeper pages
- Integrated a data visualization framework to surface key metrics and progress without relying on PDF-only updates
- Improved call-to-action visibility and navigation for easier access to events, reports, and initiative details
Social Media & Video Content
- Created a sustainable social content workflow and adaptable graphic templates
- Produced two short-form explainer videos to help define Healthy Whatcom’s core concepts
- Further edited those videos into bite-sized clips for social media
- Helped establish a process for amplifying partner organization content with minimal time investment
Email Newsletter Strategy
- Built a reusable newsletter template and quarterly update workflow
- Created an inbound form system to crowdsource updates from focus area teams, reducing the burden on a single author
- Designed a format for a funder/public-facing annual update with key accomplishments and impact summaries
Support Materials & Messaging Tools
- Expanded the core PowerPoint deck into a complete pitch kit that participating organizations could customize for their own fundraising efforts
- Designed custom infographics to explain the Population Health Framework and systemic health factors
- Developed a flexible template for publishing long-form updates directly on the website, reducing reliance on labor-intensive PDF formatting
The Results:
- A streamlined, easy-to-navigate website that clearly communicates Healthy Whatcom’s role and evolving impact
- New tools and templates that empower staff and collaborators to keep communications active with minimal overhead
- Increased engagement across platforms—especially from partners and funders now able to more easily share Healthy Whatcom’s story
- A scalable system for updates and outreach that will support the organization through the next phase of its health improvement planning cycle
Sample Works:
