Why Drydock?

June 2022 — Welcome to Communication By Design [CXD] • Notes from Drydock.

Like a boat in a “dry dock” — a place in a shipyard built for out-of-water upgrades and repairs — CXD is enthusiastically in the midst of a comprehensive overhaul.

  • Photo: Nathan Kensinger

Rewind to Early 2022. More than 10 years since launch, it was time to take a step back and celebrate our work (and that of remarkable clients), and also to envision, strategize, and plan next steps.

Our resulting “brand refresh” includes:

  • Affirming core values and mission
  • Focusing market position (niche) and services offered
  • Refining visual (look & feel) and verbal (voice) identity
  • Re-building cxdnyc.com from the ground up
  • Launching a publishing and social media initiative
  • Planning direct outreach and email promotions
  • Creating a state-of-the-art studio space and technology center
  • Developing and implementing all of the above

Fast-Forward to June 2022. Rather than replace the original cxdnyc.com (which most certainly had to come down) with an “under construction” page, I am presenting our updates as “work in process.”

I also want to share behind-the-scenes accountings of what we did, and why and how we did it, with the idea to demonstrate — and ideally help by example — others looking to brand or re-brand their ­­business, organization, or even themselves.

Stay tuned for step-by-step reports in real-time (or almost)!

Inspired by Exploring Brooklyn’s Last Remaining Dry Docks [Curbed New York, May 3, 2018, photography by Nathan Kensinger] and my crazy-inventor dad, an aficionado of all things nautical: designing, building, repairing, docking, boating, and fishing the inland waters of the Pacific Northwest.