Welcome to DECODE by Code and Theory, our thought leadership hub where we’ll share some of our forward-thinking ideas, innovative digital business solutions, and cultural observations. We’ll be posting short and long-form pieces, articles we find interesting, and even some prototypes.
These are the perspectives that constantly ricochet off our (now temporarily digital) walls, many of which inform our creative process and the work we bring to our clients. We’re excited to give our employees this new platform for creativity and to give you a window into how we think. We have been talking about this project for years. Our people are opinionated, creative, and curious, and are constantly seeking out ways to communicate our perspective to the world. In fact, it’s in our DNA. We have a long history of transforming media and publishing brands over the last decade (we've embedded ourselves in over 100 newsrooms over the years)—and in the process, we’ve learned a lot about editorial content strategy and creation. This experience has impacted how we help brands in their approach to content, both inside and outside the media and publishing industry. We tell them that it’s not enough to just publish. They need to act like publishers, which means analyzing their audiences, establishing editorial strategies and distribution plans, and testing with different content formats. After years of guiding our clients with this philosophy, we’re finally taking our own advice. This will be our own platform for experimenting with creative, engaging, and design-driven ways to communicate our perspective to you.
We’re living in an incredibly unique time. The COVID-19 epidemic has upended global society and dramatically shifted behaviors—all at once.
Like everyone else around the world, Code and Theory employees have had to readjust—from educating their children through digital tools to ordering grocery delivery for the first time. Experiencing these changes in our personal lives has naturally led us to the same questions we ask at work: how can we make these experiences more intuitive, seamless, and better designed?
When we think of the most profound effects of COVID-19, we can’t help but think of healthcare, government, education, media/publishing, and D2C. And while we have spent years helping organizations across these verticals leverage digital to solve their business challenges, the pandemic has put two notions into even sharper focus: these industries are critical to our society, yet they face many challenges, inefficiencies, and opportunities.
That’s why we are beginning our DECODE endeavor with points-of-view on these categories. We will explore how digital transformation and creativity can improve their businesses, products, and how they service consumers today—but also ways they can thrive in the future.
Visuals by
DESIGN DIRECTOR
Chenta Yu
Photograph by
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE STRATEGY
Matt Chmiel
Words by
CEO
Dan Gardner