co:census x Lavendr — Good Work for Those Who Do the Good Work

Every once in a while, you get the opportunity to work with people who you know are going to change the world.

As a creative agency, we are always ecstatic when people like this want to work with us. This year, we partnered up with co:census to develop communication methods for their flagship product - an AI-powered analytics software that helps urban planners centralize community feedback, so they can design a better tomorrow.

Their journey in innovation began when they identified a need to address inequity in urban planning. Innovation is born out of a need for change and adaptation, and the co:census team was eager to begin the work that needed to take place in this sector. Founder Tiasia O’Brien is an urban sociologist by trade and a punk at heart. She, along with the rest of the team, envisioned a more intentional method for gathering and analyzing community feedback that saves time for urban planners and uplifts the voices of community members who have been historically excluded from public engagement and feedback.

How did we get to partner up with these innovators?

The co:census team is thoughtful with how they present themselves to the world. After a recent brand evaluation and rework of their core vision and values, they found a need to refresh their communications and website. The next step was to find a team that was equipped to translate these values throughout all of their assets, and that team was Lavendr! We were excited for this opportunity, because they’re intentional, problem-solving, creative, and bring in a new approach to an old system. All of which are qualities we try to emulate at our own agency.

So the mission was this: Redefine co:census’s tone of voice. Rework co:census’s copy. Refresh co:census’s website. Let’s get started!

First - we’re a company who loves to partner with other brilliant creatives and communicators, especially those who have specialities that will take a project to the next level. Since co:census is laser focused on equity and inclusivity, we partnered with Amber Jones who is both a brilliant communications strategist and DE&I expert. With Amber’s guidance and expertise, we collaborated to develop personas for co:census’ primary audiences, and define a tone of voice that would resonate most with those personas - rebellion, intention, and support.

With this in place, we started building a new website that highlights the powerful impact and efficiency of their product while clearly representing what co:census stands for. Simultaneously, we began updating copy that didn’t match the new tone of voice to implement cohesion and accessible language across all of their assets. Each step of the way was informed by the language and tone that Jones helped curate. The purpose of using specific tone of voice was to come in with clear intentions, a little bit of rebellion against old systems, and an invitation to be a part of a collaborative solution to city development.

Check out the website, and let us know how we did!

We are so grateful that we had the opportunity to work with the amazing team at co:census. We learned about the systemic issues facing urban planning and design, worked with a team that inspires us, and contributed to their vision. A project like this is always a good reminder for us to check in with our values, and ensure we’re being as intentional with our creativity as we can be. We want to make an impact, and the one of the best ways to do so is by working with companies whose values align with ours and provide support to these innovative and community conscious companies like co:census. With that, we extend our deepest thanks to co:census, Tiasia, and James O’Brien for allowing us to do our best work.