Author: Creative Energy

Creative Energy has appointed Michelle Hartmann as Account Director. The veteran marketer will foster and maintain client relationships to grow the agency’s business

People closest to me know that I am a huge proponent of recycling. It’s not hard to recycle or upcycle, just do it! Working at Creative Energy, which is an agency that primarily focuses on food marketing, naturally, I watch and read food related stories along with my other interests, including recycling. This past weekend, one video to another led me down a path of food waste, and it was shocking. But there is hope.

So, a few years ago I wrote and illustrated a children’s book. A couple years later I made another one. Now, I’m part way through a third. I had already worked on a few books professionally, but that was really more about bringing a client’s vision to life. No matter how much of my work went into those books, they were all still ultimately someone else’s story. I was finally compelled to make my own, start to finish. The whole endeavor is the very definition of a passion project because honestly, I’ve wanted to make my own kid’s book since I was a kid. And it turns out when you grow up, you can just do that. For fun.

Food manufacturers have been preparing for the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) for more than a decade. The new regulations, designed to protect consumers from foodborne illnesses, will have a significant impact on supermarkets wholesalers, distributors, and restaurants.

A good story is your best friend. It has the power to immediately build a bridge between you and your listener by establishing connection points and highlighting shared experiences. An authentic story builds trust in a way that a simple slogan can’t achieve on its own. And the best part of a good story is we all have them; they are universally available and undeniably powerful.

A good story is your best friend. It has the power to immediately build a bridge between you and your listener by establishing connection points and highlighting shared experiences. An authentic story builds trust in a way that a simple slogan can’t achieve on its own. And the best part of a good story is we all have them; they are universally available and undeniably powerful.

Do people outside of the graphic design world actually see good design? When I took my first design class in college, I learned all about the principles of design, color theory, kerning, typography, hierarchy of information, white space, etc., and with my new knowledge and enthusiastic spirit, I set out into the wild to exercise my creative snobbery and point out all of the wrongdoings in the graphic design world.

Imagine you’re watching a commercial. The visuals are stunning, a sleek car glides down a winding coastal road, the sun sets in the background, and everything looks perfect. But something’s missing. The scene is oddly silent, making the experience fall flat. Now, add a pulsating beat or a symphony of strings, and suddenly, the visuals spring to life. The car feels faster, the sunset more dramatic, and the resulting commercial becomes memorable. That’s the magic of music in marketing and advertising.


There are some things you need to know, to give them the best care possible.  After all, a happy developer is a productive developer!

A graphic designer reflects on Broadway marketing and the importance of a bold visual presence and passion for selling your story in a crowded market.