Archive for the ‘plain language’ Category

According to the journalist Steven Brill, I’ll probably die from insurmountable medical debt. And I kind of believe him. His brilliant Time magazine cover story last month, “Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills are Killing Us,” is an incredible explana…

Cabernet, Syrah, Grenache—all words I love. They conjure images of rolling vineyards, rustic picnic tables, and most importantly, lots of wine—one of my favorite things.

Have you ever wondered how historical figures would fare in today’s commercial world? Isn’t Julius Caesar echoed in many CEO’s we encounter? While William Cody’s showmanship, feats of daring-do and talent for tall stories would surely play well…

There’s something amiss in the air. Well, more on the ground, really. It’s called irregular operations among airline industry professionals, and it’s what’s keeping you from reaching your destination. It’s also what’s adding complexity to a…

On July 2nd, the online photo-sharing site Kodak Gallery closed. In what may have been the most precious and poignant data transfer in history, five billion photos belonging to 69 million people housed at Kodak Gallery were moved to Shutterfly—that

Now more than ever, customers are demanding more from their health insurers. In an increasingly crowded marketplace, clear, customer-focused communications can greatly distinguish one insurer from another.

I have a simple approach when it comes to jargon. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to speak it. I don’t want to read it and I certainly don’t want to write it. But I work in branding, an industry, like many others, that seems particularly …

Just because data giants like Facebook and Google don’t communicate their privacy policies well (check out our recent SimplicityLab™ report on this topic), that doesn’t mean other giants out there don’t do it well. In recent weeks, I’ve seen …

Eight years ago, I could have used that halfway house. As an English major fresh from the cornfields of Grinnell, Iowa, I wondered what to do with a degree bestowed by the department of Humanities. (Oh, the humanity indeed). Although I could analyze Pa…

When you’re bad at your job, you get fired. And that’s exactly what voters should do to Congress this fall. Forget about wars, unemployment, recession and healthcare reform. Congress should be fired for failing at the most essential part of their j…