The Shortlist

We're shaking things up with a special "book review" episode of The Shortlist! This week, Wendy Simmons is joined by Middle of Sixers Susan O'Leary, Lauren Jane Peterson, and Grace Takehara to explore insights from three influential reads that can inspire AEC marketers. Grace reviews Conquer Your Rebrand by Bill Kenney of Focus Labs, offering strategies to build strong, enviable B2B brands. Susan shares key takeaways from Seth Godin’s This is Marketing, focusing on authentic connection and purposeful messaging. Lauren Jane discusses Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland, reflecting on the challenges and triumphs of the creative process.If you're looking to boost your creativity, sharpen your marketing strategy, or rethink your firm's brand identity, this episode is your CliffNotes for some Middle of Six-recommended reads.CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 2

In AEC marketing, design makes in an impact on so many of our day-to-day marketing initiatives. Proposals, websites, social media, brochures, signage, email signatures, presentations—the list goes on and on. On top of that, each medium and message may utilize a whole host of visual elements such as color, layout, typography, form, space, imagery, and more. With so much design and so many applications, how can we make sure our deliverables are engaging and resonant? Enter design psychology.On this episode of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons talks with Middle of Six's Graphic Designers, Lauren Jane Peterson and Becky Ellison, to explore how design can inspire and influence emotion, perception, behavior, and experience. They discuss how the psychology of design can help us all make more informed decisions around details and aesthetics, explore different possibilities and approaches, and offer a few tips on how to be a more empathetic and effective designer. CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 1

Adobe InDesign is a must-have tool for AEC marketers, but let’s be honest—many of us honed our proposal design skills on the job, often under a deadline. Even experienced users sometimes wonder: Am I using the best approach? In this episode of The Shortlist, host Wendy Simmons sits down with some of Middle of Six's InDesign "power users" Allison Tivnon, Becky Ellison, and Lauren Jane Peterson to explore the many ways designers approach InDesign for proposals and marketing collateral. From file setup and text layout to graphics and formatting, every designer has their own techniques—but is there really a "right" way? The discussion covers key differences in workflow, including parent pages, grids, pagination, text styling, and shortcuts. They also rumble over linking vs. embedding graphics, managing color palettes, table styles, and columns vs. threaded text. With so many ways to get the job done, sharing insights can lead to game-changing discoveries. Whether you're a meticulous organizer or a creative risk-taker, this episode will challenge the way you think about design workflows. CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 4 

A frequent debate for AEC Marketers is the classic “chicken or the egg” question: which comes first—design or content? In Episode 65 of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by Middle of Six’s Senior Creative Strategist Becky Ellison and Marketing Strategist Kyle Davis to explore both sides of the discussion. Should content shape the design, ensuring a clear and structured message? Or should design lead the way, providing a framework for content to fit into? This ongoing debate plays out in marketing teams every day, influencing how proposals, presentations, and branding materials come to life. Wendy, Becky, and Kyle share their insights, experiences, and practical approaches for tackling this challenge. Whether you're a designer, writer, or marketer, this conversation offers insightful takeaways through a heated and humorous discussion that just might help you solve this age-old dilemma! CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 2 

In Episode 64 of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by Middle of Sixers Melissa Richey and Becky Ellison for a candid and comical discussion on proposal submission confessions. Harkening back to Episode 46, Night of the Living Deadline, this conversation dives into the best, worst, and wildest submission experiences—crazy requests, impossible demands, and unpredictable personalities. From horror stories to hard-learned lessons, it’s all on the table. Whether you’re managing a team or balancing company goals, workplace stress is inevitable—especially in a high-stakes industry with relentless deadlines. The pressure to succeed can take a serious toll, but by sharing our struggles, we can find camaraderie and maybe even some laughter along the way. CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 4 

As challenging as it may be to break away from your day-to-day responsibilities to attend a conference, there is tremendous value in being immersed in new ideas, best practices, and inspiring work. But we don't have to limit ourselves and our learning to the AEC industry alone. In this episode, Middle of Six Marketing Strategist Grace Takehara shares her experience attending Circles, a national creative design conference. Listen in as Grace shares her key takeaways including how to foster your creative spark, unlocking your creative potential, and what truly matters in design efforts. Grace underscores that the value can extend to your internal team or even your entire company by inspiring others to consider new approaches and attend conferences that push their knowledge further. CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 1 

The importance of psychological safety, particularly in high-pressure industries like architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC), is having a moment—and for good reason! This episode of The Shortlist delves into how stress, especially secondary stress from pressure and insecurity, can negatively affect communication and team dynamics.   Middle of Sixers Wendy, Allison, and Becky share their own experiences and emphasize that psychological safety—defined as a workplace environment based on respect, trust, and open communication—is essential for fostering creativity, collaboration, and overall well-being. In short, when people feel safe, they perform better, which in turn leads to better outcomes for businesses, whether it's the bottom line or the quality of work produced. CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 6 

Middle of Six Principals Wendy Simmons, Melissa Richey, and Allison Tivnon kick off Season 4 of The Shortlist by diving into strategic planning methods for AEC firms. We explore how these plans can range from formal retreats to informal, and why it’s critical to have a clear, actionable strategy in place—especially in the face of economic challenges like inflation, government budget deficits, and increased competition. Whether your firm’s plan is a detailed, regularly updated roadmap or more of an ad-hoc approach, it’s crucial to align the team around a shared vision and purpose. Tune in for a conversation on how to craft a plan that will help your firm stay resilient and focused, and why strategic planning is so critical.CPSM CEU Credits: .5 | Domain: 2

The Progressive Design-Build (PDB) delivery method has been growing in popularity since it was introduced in the 90s. With more public agencies opting for "best value" over "low bid" for certain types of projects, PDB has become a go-to tool for state agencies, hospitals, K-12, and higher education procurement. The selection process, which often includes qualifications, proprietary or informational meeting(s), technical proposal, interview, and fee proposal (but notably, often no design) can extend several months and cost tens of thousands of dollars of staff time to complete.With so much time, money, and other resources on the line, how do you bring top-level strategy and renewed enthusiasm to each procurement stage and score the most points going into the fee proposal? In Episode 60, Middle of Six Principals Melissa Richey and Wendy Simmons discuss the origins of PDB, how to secure teaming partners, cultivating team dynamics, and developing compelling content for a series of written and in-person presentations that demonstrate why your team is the best choice.CPSM CEU Credits: .5 | Domain: 4

We can thank Toyota for many innovations including honing LEAN process and establishing the "A3" approach to problem-solving. A3's structured way of presenting information concisely now shows up across all industries -- including AEC. Over the last two decades, the A3 proposal format has grown in popularity and quickly became a hot design challenge for marketing and pursuit teams. How do you fit a 20-, 50-, or 80-page proposal on just one or two sides of an 11x17 sheet of paper? The answer: you don't. Instead, you have to be ultra-strategic, selective, and creative to communicate your differentiators effectively.In Episode 59 of The Shortlist, Middle of Six Senior Creative Strategists join Wendy Simmons as they share their tips and tricks for getting the most out of the A3 format. From tackling the eternal question of, "Which comes first, graphics or narrative?" to maximizing every square inch while preserving white space, Becky Ellison and Lauren Jane Peterson discuss their approach to working within the parameters of the A3 proposal format.CPSM CEU Credits: .5 | Domain: 4