Due to our country’s most recent events, I’ve been considerably more aware of time (specifically what feels like the lack thereof).

Take your (socially constructed) time.

Due to our country’s most recent events, I’ve been considerably more aware of time (specifically what feels like the lack thereof). 

Regular

Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol

Adriano Celentano's song, "Prisencolinensinainciusol,” perfectly captures what American English sounds like to Italians. Something else to uncover from this nonsensical tune: Celentano’s intention to break down language barriers and inspire people to communicate more.

Prisencolinensinainciusol

Don’t be frightened by this extremely long, non-sensical word.

A 90s therapy starter pack for those who lived through it and for those who have no idea what I’m talking about.

As If, Melancholy!

A throwback therapy session for these way harsh times. 

Privacy Concerns Fuel Executive Order, But the Real Threat Isn’t TikTok

What's really at play concerning the TikTok executive order.

This year has felt like a dumpster fire. Maybe even the whole landfill.

Creativity and What It Isn't

We all know that data is important, but it’s so interesting how tricky it can be when it’s being used to uncover or decide our truths and making our daily decisions. And this is a phenomenon that is far from new.

Data, deaths and dresses

I’ve been thinking a lot about data and how it tells stories about the human existence recently. 

Practice your bread making, continue to support our local restaurants and bars and check in with local food system support to combat local food insecurities. 

Breaking Bread

Bread making was all the rage in mid-March. 

Where Byte Missed the Boat and What That Says About the Future of Social

An Elegy.

For years, concern has been growing over facial recognition software and its use by police, but can we talk about why the solution they chose is to take away the tool and not to fix it?

At the End of the Data

This local opera singer is bringing us fearlessness and good vibes in her playlist with purpose.

Playlists with Purpose: Alicia Gianni

Bill and Jo discuss inclusivity, diversity and the importance of civic action while taking a look at the League of Women Voters of Houston brand.

Offset Path: The League of Women Voters of Houston

“Offset path” is a function in design program Adobe Illustrator. It’s also the name of our design discussion series that looks at how Black Sheep rebellious brands and campaigns for social impact that are different from, well, the usual “path.” To know when Offset Path episodes are announced or to watch us live on Instagram, follow @shearcreativity. Hosts are Black Sheep’s Creative Director Jo Skillman and Senior Designer/Illustrator Bill Ferenc.

This Houston rockstar took us on his journey through finding the power of composition and making an impact in his community through music.

Playlists with Purpose: Nick Gaitan

Community activists of all types have used the symbol of the raised fist in many ways, but what does it mean

A Brief History of the Raised Fist

The clenched, raised fist. You’ve seen it before—on television and in movies, on posters, in textbooks, maybe even in-person at a rally. As a gesture itself, it holds no meaning. But, throughout history, a variety of communities have used it as a symbol of resistance and unity: a simple yet demonstrative act of rebellion against institutional oppression.

Condensed

Michelle Obama's 2020 Commencement Address

A personal reflection on the work that needs to be done.

Revolution

Stay informed. Don't be silent. Take action. #BlackLivesMatter

Let's talk—seriously.

Gun Violence Awareness Day: We (Still) Need to Talk OR You Need To Read This

Just as we’ve seen with COVID-19 death rates and instances of police brutality, gun violence disproportionately impacts the black community.

Why Gun Violence Awareness Day Matters In the Profound Year That Is 2020

This is the time of COVID-19 and increasing racial tension—and the connection between guns and public health is more tightly bound than ever.

Black and Tired.

Our beginners guide to streaming communication in 2020

Getting Started with Webinars

Getting Started with Webinars (Part Two)

There’s a particular kind of project that doesn’t feel like a project.

It feels like something else entirely. Over Black Sheep’s 16 years, we’ve learned to recognize these engagements — the ones where the stakes are real, where the mission is load-bearing, where getting the story right genuinely changes what’s possible for the people an organization serves. We’ve also learned that these are the projects we want to fill our days with.

Right now, our roster is full of them. I want to talk about that — not as a highlight reel, but as a reflection of what we believe this work is for. And if you’re leading one of these organizations right now and it feels heavy or uncertain or like your story isn’t keeping pace with your mission, this is for you too.


Some projects aren’t a single scope — they’re a relationship, built over time, through the kind of trust that only comes from doing hard things together.

Houston Arts Alliance is in one of the most pivotal moments in its history. A new CEO — the first woman and person of color to lead the organization — has stepped into a role that carries both enormous expectation and extraordinary possibility. We are building alongside them from the ground up: immediate messaging and leadership transition tools, a mission and vision refresh, a public education campaign, a community engagement process and a full brand foundation. Long, layered, listening-first work. Some of our favorite kind.

Houston Parks Board is marking its 50th anniversary at the start of an exciting new chapter — bold new leadership, a visionary strategic plan and a future that has been a century in the making. We’re evolving their brand to match the scale of that moment. Being trusted when the foundation is strong and the future is wide open is its own kind of honor.

Good Reason Houston is an organization we know well — we built their original brand in 2018, and they’ve called on us at several points of strategic inflection since. This is one of those moments. The world these leaders are navigating looks almost nothing like it did seven years ago, and our work together right now is about finding language that tells their story with clarity and confidence for where things are today.

Civic Builders finances and develops school facilities across the country, making excellent schools possible in communities where the need is greatest. We completed a full messaging and positioning strategy with them, and we’re now deep into their visual identity system — in genuine collaboration with their extraordinary internal team. This partnership is the kind we aspire to: the work belongs to all of us.

The Greater Houston Partnership is building an AI-powered tool to connect educators, employers and community partners in ways that expand workforce opportunity. We’re building the brand that makes it accessible and credible from day one.

Fervo Energy is redefining what clean energy looks like. We are their strategic design agency — giving visual and creative form to the complexity of what they’re building, because a breakthrough technology deserves a story told with equal craft.

The University of Nevada, Reno trusted us to direct a digital campaign for their Black Youth Mental Health Initiative — designed to reach young people at the right moment, in the right channels and keep them connected to support that can change the trajectory of their lives. This follows our branding and strategy work for their CDC-sponsored Safer Nights opioid overdose prevention campaign last year.

The Center for Civic and Tech Life is now publishing a magazine for local election officials — the people who make democracy function at the ground level. We named and developed the publication’s visual identity, because this community deserves tools that reflect the seriousness of their work.

In collaboration with January Advisors, we’re working with the League of Women Voters Houston on a set of core values and a strategic plan built for what comes next. The League has been doing this work longer than most organizations have existed. Helping them articulate where they’re headed is not something we take lightly.

Much of this work is happening in Houston — the city where Black Sheep was founded, where many of us live and where we feel the stakes of these institutions personally. When you’re a Houstonian working on Houston, it stops being a client list and starts being something else.

It takes something to make this call. The leaders we work with aren’t doing it because things are easy — they’re doing it because they’ve decided that a story that can’t carry the mission is a liability they can’t afford. That takes clarity about what’s actually at stake. It takes a willingness to look honestly at the gap between where you are and how you’re being perceived. And it takes the kind of courage that doesn’t always get named as courage — the quiet decision to invest in something foundational when there are a hundred urgent things competing for the same resources.

But the thread running through all of it — local and national — is the same: find the organizations doing the most necessary work, and make sure their story is strong enough to carry their mission forward.

If your organization is in a moment that demands more clarity, more confidence or a story that finally matches where you’re headed — we’d love to be in that room with you.

A reflection on 16 years of learning which projects are worth our days — and the mission-driven organizations we're building alongside right now.

The Work That Doesn't Feel Like Work | Black Sheep Agency

What it takes to build a story strong enough to carry a mission forward.

A reflection on the partnerships filling our roster right now — and what it takes for mission-driven organizations to build a story strong enough to carry their work forward.

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

We like to type as much as we like to listen.

We're not shy.

The Work That Doesn’t Feel Like Work