Industry

Message Architect

Client

Content Strategy

From Scattered Words to a Clear Message

"Words are valuable, but meaningless without context and priority."

That one line from Margot Bloomstein's Brand Values & Message Architecture course has been living rent-free in my head all week. Build the structure before you dive into the details. Obvious? Sure. Skipped constantly? Also yes. In a world where information shows up like confetti at a parade, stepping back to see the whole picture isn't a nice-to-have. it is the work. The Epicurious model stuck with me here. Great content isn't a list of ingredients and steps; it's the right useful elements, in the right order the ones that actually serve your audience and lead to a call-to-action they want to follow. Useful first, persuasive second.

The best insights don't come from yes-or-no questions; they come from "why" and "how."

Then we put it into practice. My team (Leo, Polina, Kristine & I) ran a #BrandSort card-sorting exercise for a local history museum scenario: its online research library is already loved by academics, but families and leisure travelers have no idea it exists. The challenge attracts the fun-seekers without alienating the scholars. We split into client and consultant roles and spent ~3 hours sorting brand-attribute cards across three columns: who we're not, who we are, and who we'd like to be. Then we filtered, resolved contradictions, and grouped everything into five pillars: Inviting, Entertaining, Expert in Our Field, Inclusive, and Forward-Thinking. Our core message architecture? Trusted experts who make history accessible, approachable, and fun while staying innovative and forward-thinking.