Client Spotlight: Curt Faus Construction

Curt Faus Construction elevated its brand with a modern refresh and impactful marketing assets, such as business cards, sales materials, and attention-grabbing large-scale banners, all crafted by Ekstrand Creative. This trusted construction company now confidently showcases its expertise and professionalism, building stronger connections with clients and communities alike.

A logo for Curt Faus Construction featuring blue geometric shapes resembling a blueprint, with a ruler incorporated into the design, and the company's name in black and white text.
Digital billboard displaying support message for Clackamas County Fair and Rodeo with a person holding a colorful flag silhouette in front of a sunset background, outside a building with staircase and brick paving.
Billboard showing a silhouette of a man holding a guitar against a sunset sky, with the text supporting Oregon Jamboree and the logo for Curt Faus Construction.
Three construction business flyers featuring company information, management team profiles, and project expertise, with images of construction sites and workers.
Business card for Curt Faus Construction, located in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Includes contact information, website, and services offered.

“Ekstrand Creative understands our business and values. Maria’s creativity, strategic insight, and collaborative approach have been instrumental in helping us refresh our brand and communicate our expertise effectively. We couldn’t ask for a better partner.”

Christine Newman, Vice-President, Curt Faus Construction

Client Spotlight: Casler Financial

Discover how a fragmented brand transformed into a modern, cohesive identity that genuinely resonates with its audience. Through a strategic rebrand, Casler Financial now confidently connects with clients and communicates its commitment to empowering financial growth.

Stacked pages of business documents and guidelines, including sections labeled "Brand Application," "Visual Identity," "Tone of Voice and Messaging," and "Brand Essence," with a focus on branding and financial branding guidelines.
Logo for Caster Financial with the words 'Caster' in handwritten style typography and 'Financial' in green uppercase font with two underlines underneath.
Three pages from Casler Financial style guide, covering topics on small business retirement tax plans, health insurance tax credits for small employers, and managing tax stress.
Professional business card for Shay Bachelder, LTC, EA, a licensed tax consultant, with contact information and a logo for Casler Financial. Behind it, a teal-colored promotional flyer or brochure for tax preparation, planning, and representation services.

“The process with Ekstrand Creative brought me clarity and direction about the brand I am building and the areas I want to focus on.”

Shay Bachelder, Casler Financial

Client Spotlight: City of Oregon City

Department of Economic Development

The Oregon City Economic Development Department launched its first quarterly “OC Market Messenger,” an economic update shared with the local business community. In collaboration with the City, I developed the process from the ground up, recommending the structure and setting up a framework for ongoing success.

My work with the City encompasses strategy, creative concept development, copywriting, and graphic design in both print and electronic formats. The result is a professional and engaging newsletter that connects the department with its audience and highlights its initiatives.

In early spring 2025, I designed the “Economic Development Update.” The form factor was intended to be a more high-end printed piece, prioritizing longevity and storytelling, while also being visually appealing with a photo-dominant design. I also created a FlipBook for electronic sharing, which you can view by clicking the image to the right. This is an effective and eye-catching way to send pieces like this, and I’m excited to do more design in this format.

Illustration of Oregon City with a bridge over a river, buildings, and a bright sky, with the text 'Oregon City' at the bottom.
Oregon City Fall 2024 OC Market Messenger newsletter featuring economic updates, trends shaping the community, inflation statistics, labor market data, and commercial development information, with a background photo of a tree-lined street in autumn.
Oregon City economic development newsletter titled 'O C Market Messenger' for summer 2024, featuring sections on welcome message, economic trends, commercial business growth, and labor market updates.
Oregon City Market Messenger Winter 2025 newsletter page with a photo of Oregon City, a community update, economic trends, and development stats.
Cover page of Oregon City economic development report titled 'Fostering a Diverse, Resilient, and Vibrant Economy' with a cityscape at dusk in the background

“Maria’s expertise in strategic planning, content creation, and promotion is exactly what we needed. She has helped the department refine its messaging to resonate with our audience. Ekstrand Creative’s approach is thoughtful, professional, and results-driven. I highly recommend working with Maria.”

James Graham, CEcD, Economic Development Manager

Oregon City Economic Development Department

Washington Dairy Commission

Washington Dairy Commission OOH Billboard MMMMMMERALD CITY KEEP I REAL. KEEP IT WASHINGTON.

Scope of work included:

  • Strategy + Planning

  • Branding

  • Creative + Design

  • Content + Media

  • Digital Marketing

DFW campaigns won several awards, including:

  • PR Daily Content Marketing Awards 2019: Winner Recipe Content Series.

  • American Advertising Awards Seattle 2019: Silver Addy, Keep it Real. Keep it Washington Campaign.

  • Portland Advertising Federation Rosey Awards 2018: Climbing Rose Award, Out of Home, Dear Dairy Campaign.

  • Portland Advertising Federation, Rosey Awards 2017: Our Newest Team Member, Tiggy, People’s Choice Award.

Washington Dairy Commission Station Domination Keep It Real. Keep It Washington.
Ice cream cone with pink ice cream molded into the face of George Washington, set against a light blue background with text promoting real dairy ice cream from Washington farms.
Washington Dairy Commission Keep It Real Keep It Washington Creative Samples Print Ad
Washington Dairy Commission. Bus Wrap. Keep It Real. Keep It Washington. Campaign

JumpCloud

A building with a large billboard featuring a person's face, a logo, and text that reads, 'Restore order to your kingdom, with but one platform.' The city skyline with tall buildings and a stadium roof are visible in the background.

Our team partnered with JumpCloud to spotlight everyday IT champions who ensure the mobile workforce runs safely. The campaign combined targeted messaging and compelling visuals, featuring real JumpCloud customers to connect with the audience. Launched in key metro markets like Seattle, Austin, and Denver, the 3-month pilot laid the groundwork for a national rollout over the next 18 months.

Key Deliverables:

Brand Strategy + Creative: Campaign development, media planning, creative design, A/B testing, and customer interviews.

Content + Media: OOH, digital and radio media, social media strategy, and content creation.

JumpClouds campaign won several awards, including:

  • Winner of 2022 AAF-Silicon Valley Judge's Choice,

  • ADDY, three golds, six silvers, and two bronze awards.

Billboard advertisement urging users to escalate user login security, featuring a woman with blonde hair, the JumpCloud logo, and the tagline 'Access, granted'.
JumpCloud Brand Campaign Billboard
JumpCloud Brand Campaign Digital OOH Billboard

“Maria was a strategic business partner, advising my team and me on various ad campaigns and awareness topics. Whether we were discussing the ins and outs of OOH asset production, a high-level media plan, or creative refreshes, Maria was responsive, helpful, knowledgeable, and focused on my and JumpCloud's success. Most importantly, Maria understood the business drivers and landscape for JumpCloud AND what it takes to package information that executives appreciate. Our program together yielded measurable, wildly positive results. I cannot wait to work with Maria again!”

Eric Channing Brown, VP of Corporate Marketing