Navigating design Agata Smok Navigating design Agata Smok

Seeing clearly: the quiet power of visual identity

Designing a corporate identity requires a kind of long vision. It needs to serve immediate needs but also leave room to evolve, to adapt to changes we can’t yet predict. That’s no small feat. A cohesive system should thread through everything from letterheads to packaging, from signage to websites. The trick is to create something that feels both structured and alive—recognizable but not rigid. Thoughts on designing visual identity here.

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Drawing clarity: embracing the messy middle through visual facilitation

Psychological safety, as Amy Edmondson describes it, is not about avoiding tough discussions but creating the conditions in which they can happen constructively. Visual facilitation offers that space—a way to hold competing perspectives without letting them dissolve into discord. For those looking to explore this practice, there’s a wealth of wisdom to draw from, put together in a post here.

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Navigating design Agata Smok Navigating design Agata Smok

The art of clear and impactful EU writing

For more than seven years, I’ve worked as a graphic designer on various EU-funded projects, fine-tuning dissemination materials to ensure clarity, accessibility, and effectiveness. Through this experience, I’ve gathered key best practices that can help authors navigate the intricate process of creating EU publications. With this post, you’ll find a collection of tools, tips, and reminders to make your writing process efficient and results-driven.

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Editorial design Agata Smok Editorial design Agata Smok

Smart Cities, stronger futures

Resilience isn’t just a buzzword, not for the cities threading their way through economic instability, natural disasters, and the aftershocks of a global pandemic. For small and mid-sized cities, resilience is survival—an ability to absorb the impact of disruption and emerge not just intact but stronger. But resilience comes at a cost, and for many local governments, securing the funds to fortify infrastructure, invest in renewable energy, or prepare for the unexpected feels like an insurmountable challenge.

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