The power of design process as told through a poster series

The Black Sheep team loves process as much as we love the written word and the visual art form.

The Black Sheep team loves process as much as we love the written word and the visual art form. By nature of the work we do, we love smashing words, visuals and heart together – mesmerized by how they intersect to create a powerful, lasting message.

Condensed

In the last several decades, Boys and Girls Harbor has done amazing work.

Popping the Cork on a New Brand

In the last several decades, Boys and Girls Harbor has done amazing work. For 70 years they have been steadfast in caring for our region’s abused and neglected children.

Stephanie Wittels Wachs : Anxiety

Tiffany Pratt: Designer + Stylist

CreativeMornings x WordPress.com

Beatriz Craven: Compassion

We’re not morning people, but we’re Creative Mornings people.

Our Favorite Mornings Are Creative

We’re not morning people, but we’re Creative Mornings people.(See what we did there? *Swish*) Since the inspirational creative coffee klatch launched in 2014—with our fearless leader speaking about Kid Cudi, the pursuit of happiness and having the courage to say“No”—we’ve been hooked on the community connecting, brain-rebooting whiz-bang that this event brings(not to mention the plentiful Greenway Coffee). 

Black Sheep has been working with BakerRipley (formerly Neighborhood Centers) for a long time—nearly since the inception of our company.

HUMAN, A BakerRipley Campaign

Black Sheep has been working with Baker Ripley (formerly Neighborhood Centers) for a long time—nearly since the inception of our company. It’s impossible to enumerate the effects they have had on our agency.

A few years ago, I read the book Brilliance by Marcus Sakey.

Pattern Recognition

A few years ago, I read the book Brilliance by Marcus Sakey. I don’t want to spoil it for you by giving away the plot, but something stuck with me—enough to read this book again for inspiration—was how the characters in this novel have special abilities. Realistic ones. One character could visualize the movement and patterns in crowds, giving her the ability to seamlessly weave through people for quick escapes. Another man was blessed with infallible emotion-recognition skills, making him a human lie detector. They had super powers but not necessarily supernatural ones, as Jess helped me summarize. (Thanks, Jess!)

In 2016, iconic Houston institution Bering Omega merged with Houston Area Community Services (HACS) to form one big super-org focused on community medical care.

Creating a 360-Degree Brand

In 2016, iconic Houston institution Bering Omega merged with Houston Area Community Services (HACS) to form one big super-org focused on community medical care. The resulting powerhouse was namedAvenue 360 Health & Wellness—“Avenue” for the simple, friendly pathway to care and “360” for the huge variety of services offered. Avenue 360 provides everything from medical and behavioral health to dental services, help with housing and even more specialized support services.

Combined Arms: A New Brand About Moving Forward Together

If you know Black Sheep, you know that we like to believe in things—one of those things is the power of a logo. Another is the power of veterans in our community.

When I was a little kid, my sister and I were prepared for our annual visit to my grandparents’ house with one very intense lecture. It went a little something like this:

Culture Keepers and Design Preservers

Don’t touch the pots.
Don’t even LOOK at the pots.
DO NOT. BREAK. THE POTS.

Learn To Ad: Madison Avenue Strategies To Strengthen School Communication

If you’ve ever had your eyeballs attacked or your fingers befuddled by a poorly designed app or website, you’ve probably had a moment of Poor Design Experience, or PDE.*

If you’ve ever had your eyeballs attacked or your fingers befuddled by a poorly designed app or website, you’ve probably had a moment of Poor Design Experience, or PDE.* As painful as these experiences are, you probably feel as though they’re not really hurting you—and you’re probably right. But, in the case of communications between schools and students, PDEs can make a lot of difference when it comes to important things, like understanding the college application process or becoming informed of educational options at different high schools. Black Sheep’s art director Jo Skillman has teamed up with University of Virginia educator and researcher Ben Castlemanto write about the importance of solid communications for educational organizations in an article published by the Brookings Institution. In true Black Sheep style, we’ve managed to pun the title.

Good design awareness is a resolution worth making

Pay attention to good design

Regular

Not Just for Typophiles

At Black Sheep, we know storytelling isn’t just about awareness. It’s about disruption, transformation and cultural change. That’s why we loved our Account Director Shauna Garriques’ LinkedIn article, Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Performance Was More Than Music—It Was a Masterclass in Impact Storytelling where she unpacks how Lamar turned the world’s biggest stage into a powerful commentary on racial injustice. His use of symbolism, risk and raw emotion sparked conversations far beyond the 13-minute performance.

We won’t rehash her insights here—and encourage you to read the full article—but we do want to build on them. Because what Kendrick Lamar did wasn’t just an example of impact storytelling. It was a lesson in narrative power—who gets to tell stories, how those stories shape public consciousness and why discomfort is often a sign you’re doing it right.


Owning the Narrative vs. Being Part of the Narrative

For decades, the Super Bowl halftime show has been about spectacle. Big names, bright lights and choreography built for mass appeal. But Kendrick Lamar didn’t just step into that tradition; he bent it to serve a deeper message.

That’s a crucial lesson for social impact leaders. Are you shaping your own story, or are you adjusting it to fit someone else’s expectations? Too often, organizations working in justice spaces are asked to soften their message for broader appeal. 

You write in order to change the world… if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change it. - James Baldwin

Real impact happens when stories are told with honesty and audacity, not when they’re polished into something more digestible.


Symbolism Isn’t Just an Aesthetic Choice—It’s a Strategy

One of the most striking aspects of Lamar’s performance was his use of visual storytelling. The prison yard set. The red, white and blue draped over Black bodies. The synchronized marching. The video game references. None of it was accidental. Every detail was designed to deepen the emotional impact of his message.

We believe the same is true for social movement storytelling. Symbolism isn’t decoration—it’s a strategic tool. The picture-superiority effect suggests that a well-placed visual cue is far more likely to be remembered than words alone. When we work with social impact organizations fighting challenging battles for issues like reproductive rights, labor justice and trans visibility, we ask: What do people need to feel before they understand what you’re saying? Because facts inform, but emotion moves people to action.

Perhaps the most important takeaway from Lamar’s performance is that discomfort is not the enemy—it’s the point. Social impact work should challenge assumptions, shift perspectives and push audiences to engage with hard truths.

As Shauna said, “Bold storytelling sparks dialogue, and dialogue is where change begins.”  Kendrick’s performance didn’t just make people watch—it made them feel. And for movements that challenge power, creating that kind of discomfort is often the first step toward a cultural shift.

Emotional resonance isn’t just a storytelling tool—it’s what makes messages stick. Research shows that people are far more likely to remember a message when it triggers an emotional response—especially when it highlights injustice. This reinforces a truth that every major movement for change has understood: growth comes from friction. Progress doesn’t happen passively. It requires people to engage with discomfort, challenge the status quo and push conversations forward, even when the path isn’t easy.

If you’re interested in active, powerful storytelling that sparks real impact and are ready to challenge the status quo with your own message, let’s talk. As Kendrick showed us—culture shifts when voices refuse to be silenced.

Kendrick Lamar Didn’t Just Perform—He Provoked. Here’s What We Can Learn About Narrative Power and Cultural Change.

The Power of Disruptive Storytelling

The Black Sheep blog is turning up the volume on community engagement, social media strategy, Houston happenings and what it means to lead a purpose-driven life.

The Black Sheep Agency | Social impact and nonprofit blog

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