Postcard from Seattle
Sara Green, principal and founder at Seattle-based brand strategy and interactive studio People People, chats to Transform about life in the Pacific Northwest and where inspiration can be found.
What is distinctive about the branding industry in Seattle and more generally in Washington?
The Northwest is friendly! From my perspective, branding agencies in Seattle are creatively driven but have more of an open-door policy – fellow agencies are seen as colleagues more than competitors.
How would you say People People’s strategic approach differs from other agencies in the state?
Our approach is holistic and heavily relationship based. We focus on the people first – what their goals are as it pertains to the project at hand, and how we can best collaborate. We build our strategy for their success based on what we learn from those initial conversations. We always make sure to answer the ‘why’ before the ‘what’ – as we feel that well-placed questions and conceptual strength are the foundation of a successful project.
Seattle is surrounded by some of the most beautiful national parks and forests in the US. Do you find visiting these helps inspire your work?
Absolutely. There is so much inspiration in the outdoors! Having quick access to the National Forest makes it easy to escape the city and fill your proverbial ‘cup’. It's very much a part of the Pacific Northwest lifestyle and thus plays a role in many of the local brands we have developed. Notably, we recently created a new identity for Washington State Parks!
Tell me about your project rebranding Western States Arts Federation and the biggest challenge you faced along the way.
Rebranding WESTAF to Creative West was such an honour, as the organisation supports both artists and cultural institutions through grants, advocacy, research and more. One of the most exciting challenges in developing the new Creative West brand was capturing the region’s incredible complexity and diversity – reflected in its people, cultures and even the natural landscape that defines the West. What began as a goal of inclusivity evolved into the central theme of the brand: a reflection of the region’s interconnected multitudes.
What’s next for People People?
People People is looking forward to a productive year – lots of fun projects in the works! We’ll also be launching a time tracking/project reporting application that we’ve built and have been using and honing for years! It’s such an asset for our team; we’re planning to package it up and put it out into the world for other creative agencies to utilise!
This article was taken from Transform magazine Q2, 2025. You can subscribe to the print edition here.
