Linda Jones

Creative as a noun … and more

Linda helps lead DH’s creative team, which traditionally means the people who make the stuff: designers, writers, videographers. But to her, creative means more than websites or radio spots or videos. At DH, everybody who’s solving problems for clients — which is everybody at DH — is creative. “Creative is finding solutions for our clients — defining our goal and coming up with a smart, strategic way to achieve it,” she says.

Linda says:

Ultimately, Linda sees “creative” as the connection our clients make with audiences. So it might be a moment of inspiration or some newfound reason to hope: “Whether you see it, watch it, hear it, experience it — it’s the connection.”

Building a brand that means something

Branding starts with understanding your organization’s identity. So at DH, branding starts with messaging, as we help you define who you are, what you do and why, whom you serve — and how you’ll tell that story to others. Then DH designers can create the visuals to help put your story in front of audiences.

Building (or rebuilding) your brand also means ensuring your leaders and co-workers support and understand the brand, Linda says. It’s up to everyone to keep telling the story, whether it’s by making decisions that align with your values or being prepared to explain your mission to others.

“If your employees and leadership team don’t support it,” Linda says, “the best brand in the world won’t go anywhere.”

Running as fun/not-fun

Linda started running in 2003: “I went a half-mile, cussing at my husband the whole time.” Still, she did it again. And again. And for longer distances. She thinks of running as “Type 2 fun” — it’s not always fun while you’re doing it, but it’s fun when it’s over.

Now an accomplished marathoner, Linda runs to relieve stress, connect with friends, and strive toward concrete goals. As the mother of two young kids, she often runs for alone time. “After having my first daughter, anytime I went for a run was more intentional, and I pushed harder to get in as much as I could in the time that I had,” she says. “It’s a way to clear my head.”