Common Sense Media
Uniting a brand to tell one clear, powerful story.
We live in an age where technology is developing at a rate faster than what any individual can keep up with - and it’s reshaping childhood. Enter Common Sense Media, the unequivocal leader in this space, a nonprofit with 20+ years dedicated to the health and well-being of our kids. Yet despite the public outcry surrounding kids and screens, the organization’s wealth of resources were underutilized and membership support didn’t reflect the national conversation.
The challenge was to simplify the brand story, positioning its three separate arms - media, education and advocacy - in a clear, ownable way that showcased the power of the organization and spoke to various audiences.
Through a series of cross-team worksessions, we developed a brand foundation that served as a springboard for a website redesign as well as several key initiatives.
Because in a world where grown-ups are overwhelmed, uncertain, and struggling to make good decisions, Common Sense Media is needed more than ever.
Strategic Brand Positioning
Creative Strategy
Workshops
Big Ideas
Digital Campaigns
Creative Direction
Art Direction
Copywriting
Tone of Voice
Digital Campaigns
Brand Messaging
Illustration & Animation
Results:
Positioned as the unequivocal leader
Built a brand purpose that resonates
Simplified the messaging and website
“There’s not a single person in our organization who would describe what we do in the same way.”
— Quote from stakeholder
The Strategy:
01
We led a workshop series to uncover a unifying brand narrative that will rally employees, parents, educators, and policymakers under one clear mission.
02
We started by facing a cultural reckoning: technology is outpacing adults’ ability to keep up. Parents and educators feel overwhelmed, like passengers on a rocketship with no seatbelts.
This human truth became our strategic north star. Instead of simpler messaging, we needed to create a brand that was the compass in a fast-moving world.
BEFORE:
Seen primarily as an information resource — a site parents could visit for reviews and ratings.
AFTER:
Positioned as the unequivocal leader and “compass” in the age of acceleration — actively shaping the future of childhood.
IMPACT:
Elevated from helpful tool to movement leader, amplifying authority and cultural relevance.
03
Common Sense Media has three powerful arms: Ratings, Education, Advocacy—but they were communicated separately.
We wove them into one clear promise:
We Rate. We Educate. We Advocate.
This unity made the brand easy to understand and hard to forget.
BEFORE:
Three powerful but siloed arms — Media Ratings, Education, Advocacy — communicated separately.
AFTER:
Unified under one cohesive promise: We Rate - We Educate - We Advocate, forming a single, clear value chain.
IMPACT:
Made the brand architecture easy to understand at a glance and increased cross‑engagement.
04
This brand transformation gave Common Sense Media the tools to lead a national dialogue—to protect and prepare kids for a digital future they deserve.
It’s not just a new look or messaging—it’s a call to action.
BEFORE:
Multiple variations of mission and vision, often functional (“We provide ratings and education”).
AFTER:
Sharpened mission to the powerful call: We protect and prepare kids in the digital era. And with a focused, inspiring vision: A digital world worthy of the kids who will inherit it.
IMPACT:
Clarified purpose, increased emotional & business impact. Getting the three arms of the business- We Rate, We Educate, We Advocate, beating to the same drum
05
The new positioning became the springboard for a full website redesign — collapsing 52 competing navigation links into 7, and restructuring the site to reflect the three unified pillars. Common Sense Media will now have one of its main owned channels able to communicate what it's uniquely qualified to deliver to the world, showing the brand's power.
BEFORE:
Complex structure which buried Common Sense Media’s value.
AFTER:
Streamlined architecture with clear navigation links aligned to the new pillars.
IMPACT:
Improved user comprehension, guided visitors toward deeper engagement.
The Website
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