Discovery District Maryland

Brand StrategyIntegrated MarketingVisual IdentityWeb Strategy & UX

Discovery District Maryland is where groundbreaking research meets real-world scale. Where one of the country’s top public universities connects with a community of scientists, visionaries, and entrepreneurs, industry-shaping leaders. With considerable expertise in placebranding, Grafik was selected to build the brand and marketing platform for this remarkable ecosystem. Our top strategists and designers framed the Discovery District as a place where firsts are regularly realized, sustained, and nurtured.

To showcase the brand story and highlight what is truly unique to Discovery District Maryland, we established a new brand name, brand identity, and mantra, The Next First. It all comes together in a vibrant new website.

One of the many distinct features of Discovery District Maryland is its focus on quantum computing. So designers turned to quantum science for inspiration. The result is a logo that’s constantly moving. The work of accelerating breakthroughs never stops at the Discovery District so we insisted on a brand identity that reflects that.

Activating Stakeholders

From meetings with key development partners and civic leaders to conversations with UMD president, Dr. Pines, and his board, the Grafik team laid the groundwork for a highly collaborative network of stakeholders who saw how they could be part of the Discovery District brand, sharing a consistent story and leveraging brand assets for use in their own marketing and communications efforts.

We built a streamlined website that showcases the experiences and opportunities that abound in Discovery District—and, vitally, will be able to grow as the community does. The hero features a dynamic slideshow highlighting key audiences and messaging, while other sections emphasize innovation and quantum science leadership and a news carousel shares the latest Discovery District updates.

Defining The Community

Fence banners are popping up in all corners of Discovery District’s 150+ acres, and signage is now delineating its boundaries. With a fresh new design vocabulary, developers, property managers, and marketers are showcasing the many opportunities for locals to experience their next first.

Breaking Ground — Literally

Governor Wes Moore is a regular visitor to Discovery District. His support for this destination as a hub for the Capital of Quantum Initiative (another Grafik project) brings him back often for news conferences and ground breakings. We’re proud to have our work closely associated with one of UMD’s top strategic priorities and one of state’s signature initiatives.

Outcome

Our work with Discovery District was strategic and comprehensive. From naming this remarkable destination to establishing a framework for audience-specific messaging and activating brand ambassadors, Grafik worked shoulder to shoulder with the team at Terrapin Development to deliver a versatile placebrand. Our efforts are fueling conversations with companies looking for the optimal homebase and uniting local stakeholders eager to see their community grow and thrive.

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The Hertz Foundation

Brand StrategyIntegrated MarketingVisual IdentityWeb Strategy & UX

Supporting a lifelong interdisciplinary community of innovators tackling the greatest challenges the world faces today, the non-profit Hertz Foundation was little known outside of the research world. Awarding no more than 25, five-year fellowships to PhD candidates in the applied sciences, mathematics, and engineering, the community may be small in number, yet its collective achievements, as seen in the video below, are outsized.

To memorably deliver the stories of Hertz Fellows, we created a new visual ID, logo, and mantra, Making History, all introduced via a totally re-imagined website.

Conveying how collaboration sparks innovation, distinct elements converge to form an “H” within the new logomark. Once seen, it is not forgotten.

Putting Fellows Front and Center

From the start, it was clear the accomplishments of Fellows would be central to the Hertz brand. It was also clear they needed to be presented without hyperbole and in a way that reflected the scientific rigor leading to their many breakthroughs.

At launch, the new website saw traffic increase by 70%; its lasting impact is an ease of use that supports the interdisciplinary nature of the Fellows’ research.

Awareness Ads: Name a Challenge

Increasing overall awareness was critical to the Hertz Foundation reaching both its fundraising goal and its increased fellowship applications goal. To that end, we created a social media campaign: “Name a Challenge. There’s a Hertz Fellow working on it.”

2025 saw the largest fellowship applicant pool  in the Foundation’s history.

Supporters want to see their donations are making a difference. What was a static printed piece/PDF became a dynamic narrative called, appropriately, the Impact Report—an easily navigated compelling read.

Creating a never-ending story

The new brand:

Established the Foundation as a significant, one-of-its-kind organization whose Fellows are tackling the world’s toughest challenges

Increased overall awareness while bringing clarity to its role within the scientific ecosystem

Provided consistent messaging for the community of fellows and its friends

Cemented the thought leadership reputation of the Hertz Community

Increased applications to the graduate fellowship

Attracted new partners

Supercharged fundraising

Grafik created much-needed awareness of the Foundation’s pivotal role in helping our nation maintain global technological superiority, a position threatened today both by attacks on expertise and subsequent reductions in research funding.

The growing Hertz Community now speaks with one voice through their most credible advocates, the Hertz Fellows themselves. Supplying a solid narrative all could use means they can tell the whole story while citing their own achievements in a way that matches their personalities–humble, not braggadocious, yet still impressive.

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National Human Genome Research Institute

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Aledade

Campaign DesignIntegrated MarketingVisual Identity

Do More Good

Aledade is the largest network of independent primary care in the U.S., enabling clinicians to deliver better patient outcomes and generate more savings revenue through value-based care. By providing actionable insights and dedicated support, Aledade enables primary care organizations to succeed financially by keeping patients healthy. Together with more than 2,400 practices and community health centers in 46 states and the District of Columbia, Aledade manages accountable care organizations that serve nearly 3 million patient lives.

Since Aledade’s founding, so much had changed: a five-person start-up is now the nation’s largest network of independent primary care and a pioneer in value-based care enablement.  As Aledade marked its ten year milestone in 2024, leadership recognized it was time to update their visual identity and increase brand awareness. That’s where Grafik came in.

Delivering a purpose-driven brand

Aledade had just minted a simple, yet powerful brand mantra, Do More Good, inspired by their mission to deliver better health, better care, and lower costs — creating a health care system that is good for patients, good for practices, and good for society. As Grafik’s designers set about to bring Aledade’s visual identity to life, our marketing strategists created a channel plan tailored to three primary audience segments, and creative leads began work on a powerful brand video to demonstrate the full impact of partnering with Aledade.

With a clear vision and a powerful message, Grafik teamed up with the talented folks at UNRIVALED to bring their story to life. By choosing to feature partner physicians and their patients, we produced a brand video that not only captured the heart of Aledade’s mission, but also delivered the real-world power of value-based care — while generating a wealth of footage for 15- and 30-second ad formats. Every scene, from interviews to b-roll, was thoughtfully crafted to tell a story that resonates.

Grafik was tasked with redesigning Aledade’s visual identity, from developing a new logo to supporting brand awareness with strategic campaign recommendations. With the goal of simplifying and strengthening the brand, the new logo delivers modern clarity, while the broader identity highlights Aledade’s human side with more authentic imagery, a rich 508-compliant color palette, and carefully refined typography.

A clean, versatile icon designed for shorthand use — perfect for social media and anywhere the full logo isn’t needed.

Outcome

This deeply collaborative effort unified stakeholders across growth, communications, and policy under a revitalized brand platform. Grafik delivered a flexible suite of creative assets — including a new visual identity, video content, and a multi-channel campaign strategy — that not only elevated Aledade’s market presence, but equipped the team with tools to drive awareness, influence decision-makers, and sustain long-term growth well beyond the initial launch.

Shift5

Campaign DesignIntegrated MarketingMedia StrategyWeb Strategy & UX

Neutralizing GPS Spoofing and Jamming

GPS spoofing and jamming are escalating threats to both national security and commercial transportation. These malicious acts create navigational errors that can compromise operational safety, especially in contested or congested geographies. Shift5 developed their GPS Integrity Module, a sophisticated, multi-faceted solution, to detect GPS spoofing attempts and alert operators, ensuring the safety and reliability of navigation systems.

Our role was to launch this solution to market, positioning Shift5 as a domain expert and building momentum with audiences ranging from military leadership to commercial fleet operators.

Solution

We delivered a cross-platform campaign designed to:

Establish Shift5 as a thought leader in GPS spoofing and electronic warfare

Introduce a differentiated, novel product with clear utility and urgency

Drive awareness and demand across both in-market and future-facing audiences

What made it work

Collaborative ABM strategy

Grafik partnered with Shift5 to activate a targeted, account-based marketing strategy on the 6Sense platform. Together, we used real-time intent data and audience segmentation to identify, prioritize, and engage high-value defense and aviation accounts. This collaboration ensured messaging was aligned to buying stages, tailored to key decision-makers, and deployed efficiently across channels—maximizing impact and minimizing waste.

Headlines such as “Deception Denied” and “ETA or ETAin’t?”  gave voice to a complex issue, connecting the dots between threat and solution in a way that felt grounded and urgent.

Shift5-Deception-Denied-Maintain-GPS-integrity-with-on-board-OT

CreativE with purpose

We evolved Shift5’s visual identity to suit campaign needs while staying true to the core brand. Each asset was designed to work across display, social, and direct placements in industry publications—highlighting technical capabilities that are often hard to illustrate.

Multi-channel execution

From high-intent channels like Google Search, LinkedIn, and Defense News to broad awareness plays on Reddit and geofenced events, we reached both defense and commercial aviation decision-makers where they naturally engage.

Content that built credibility

Explainers, whitepapers, and lead-gen tools gave prospects multiple entry points—allowing Shift5 to guide buyers through an unfamiliar category at their own pace.

Shift5-Social-Post-Case-Study-ETA-or-ETAin't

Shift5-Social-Post-Case-Study-Deception-Denied

Shift5-Turn-Sensor-data-into-actionable-intelligence

Shift5-Observe-OT-Data-For-GPS-Integrity

Impact

3.3m

impressions across all paid social media

104

additional leads from Aviation Week Placement

qualified leads from LinkedIn Content

Shift5-Case-Study-Reddit-emerged-as-the-most-efficient-channel

Reddit emerged as the most efficient channel, driving volume and reach at the lowest cost

1132

target accounts reached, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and American Airlines

6.76%

CTR on Google, with strong engagement around GPS Spoofing and EW Keywords

Outcome

Through a tightly coordinated ABM approach, Grafik and Shift5 leveraged the full potential of 6Sense to identify and influence the right accounts—ensuring every campaign touchpoint was relevant, resonant, and measurable. In this way, we did more than introduce a product—our bold, strategic, and built-to-scale creative helped Shift5 take ownership of an emerging category.

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