Adobe built a comprehensive index measuring how well U.S. state and local governments deliver digital services to their residents. The research was rigorous. The problem was making anyone read it. We partnered with Adobe to turn a dense benchmarking report into a suite of strategic communications tools that busy government leaders would actually engage with.
80 pages of government digital maturity research. Our job: make it land in a 15-minute meeting with a state CIO.
CHALLENGE:
The Digital Government Index was built for an audience that doesn't have time for it. State CIOs, city managers, and government technology leaders are making decisions about digital transformation — but they're not reading 80-page reports at their desks. They're scanning handouts at conferences, flipping through decks in briefings, and skimming posts between meetings.
The creative challenge wasn't simplifying the data — it was translating it. The insights were valuable, but they were locked inside a format designed for researchers, not decision-makers. We needed to extract the signal, preserve the credibility, and deliver it in formats that matched how government leaders actually consume information.
APPROACH:
We designed a modular system of materials, each built for a specific moment in Adobe's engagement cycle with government stakeholders.
The presentation distilled the full report into a branded narrative — clean layouts that gave complex data room to breathe, a clear visual hierarchy that moved from findings to implications to next steps. It functioned as both a briefing tool and a leave-behind, designed so Adobe's government team could walk into any meeting and make the case without needing the full report.
The two-page overviews were built for conferences and one-on-ones — the critical findings, the standout states, and a clear call to engage. Concise enough to read while waiting for a panel to start. Polished enough to hand to a CIO.
When Adobe extended the research to cities and counties, we adapted the system seamlessly — same design language, new content, municipal audience. The visual consistency across both initiatives reinforced Adobe's position as the authority on government digital maturity.
We also supported a blog post to extend reach and strengthen Adobe's thought leadership in the government technology space.
Adobe had the research. Government leaders had the need. The gap was the format. This project was a translation job — taking valuable insight and rebuilding it for the way decisions actually get made. Not in reports. In rooms, in hallways, in the 15 minutes between sessions at a conference. That's where design earns its place.
THE RESULTS:
• Presentation, two-page overviews, and blog content delivered for both States and Cities/Counties editions
• Materials used in Adobe briefings with state and local government stakeholders nationwide
• Platinum MarCom Award 2024: Adobe Digital Government Index
• Positioned Adobe as a leading voice in government digital transformation
