Higher Education

Your School Deserves the Best Talent

We know what makes your school great, because we’ve done our research. LMD combines the power of data with behavioral sciences to build creative marketing strategies that get big results. We have a long history of successful partnerships with higher education; we’d love to cheer on your institution, too.

What We Deliver

  • Brand Strategy & Positioning

  • Enrollment & Recruitment Marketing

  • Research & Audience Insight

  • Digital Experience & Web Modernization

  • Campaign Development & Creative Execution

We’d Love to Visit Your Campus, Too

Fearless Ideas for the Robert H. Smith School of Business

Following UMD Athletics' transition to the Big 10 Conference in 2014, Smith needed a way to increase awareness and recruitment amid a wave of University prominence. LMD brought academia to the iconic “Fear the Turtle” sports branding with “Fearless Ideas” educational branding.

  • Anne Arundel Community College logo
  • Bowie State University
  • Capitol College
  • Coppin State University
  • The George Washington University
  • Graduate School
  • UMD The Graduate School
  • Heidelberg University
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Mount St. Mary's University
  • University of Maryland School of Law
  • UMBC
  • UMD A. James Clark School of Engineering
  • UMD Alumni Association
  • UMD College of Education
  • UMD College of Journalism
  • The Universities at Shady Grove

Why Effective Science Communication Requires Specialized Creative Expertise

The mandate of publicly funded science is not just to do science. It is to make the benefits of that science meaningful to the public. This requires skills that are adjacent to science but not the same as doing science.

Translation is a discipline

Scientists are trained for precision. Broad audiences need clarity and relevance. A creative partner like LMD specializes in turning complex material into engaging, relatable stories and experiences without compromising the science. This aligns with both federal plain-language expectations and digital-first public experience requirements.

1

Design and multimedia are no longer “nice extras”

“One press release plus one webpage” is no longer a distribution strategy; it’s a source file that must be repackaged into multiple formats: digital, web, multimedia, and outreach. The highest-performing science communication today is visual, modular, and platform-native. A creative agency brings:

  • Information design that actually explains complex ideas.

  • Motion and animation that make processes, systems, and data easier to understand.

  • Campaign packaging that supports grantees, partners, and educators.

  • Consistent brand storytelling across programs and audiences.

2

Audience strategy and stakeholder mapping are specialized skills

Federally funded science requires communicating with Congress, media, governments, state and local agencies, research and education communities, and the public. Each audience brings different questions about the value and benefit of the scientific initiative. Creative agencies like LMD can build a messaging architecture that maintains scientific consistency while tailoring value frames to each group.

3

Modern distribution is a production system

In a fragmented media world, one-and-done assets underperform. Creative agencies build content systems that include:

  • One core narrative that can be translated into many formats.

  • One research story that can be told through an explainer page, short video, social cutdowns, briefing deck, and infographics.

  • Evergreen content hubs that improve discoverability over time.

4

Credibility-friendly storytelling requires restraint

NIH’s checklist and the National Academies’ research agenda reinforce that credibility comes from context, careful language, and the acknowledgment of limitations, not from overpromising. A strong agency partner helps you be both compelling and careful, especially when the stakes include public trust and policy decisions.

When federally funded science is communicated well, it informs, inspires, and delivers broader value by:

  • Building durable support for investment.

  • Improving decision-making.

  • Strengthening public trust.

  • Accelerating real-world impact.

That is why science and research organizations benefit from creative agency expertise. Science is the heart; communication is the voice that helps the public understand its value, relevance, and impact.

5

How This Can Look in Practice

Translating complexity into public-facing clarity

For the EPA’s Office of Water, LMD transformed technical materials for its WaterSense program into accessible communications assets, including a website redesign, content strategy, infographics, and print collateral. This helped consumers and private industry stakeholders understand the importance of water efficiency and the benefits of using WaterSense-labeled products while preserving scientific and technical accuracy.

Building a multi-format content system around one technical story

For the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM), a joint initiative of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, War, and HHS, LMD developed a messaging platform and core narrative, and extended them across multiple formats, including website content, explainer videos, infographics, fact sheets, and case studies. This made it easier to communicate consistently with multiple stakeholders–including data scientists, program analysts, policymakers, academia, and state, local, tribal, and federal program leads while increasing the reach and usability of the content.

A Practical Mini-Playbook for Communicating About Federally Funded Science

OMB’s digital-first guidance for federal public-facing experiences emphasizes accessibility, plain language, searchability, mobile-first design, and user-centered delivery. 

Writing Act of 2010’s requirement for clear public communication, this means federally funded science content faces both mission pressure and policy pressure to be usable by real people. Here is a simple starting template.

FOR EVERY RESEARCH STORY, PRODUCE:

A one-sentence takeaway in plain language.

A clear explanation of what changed, whether a new finding, capability, or dataset.

A statement of why it matters, including who benefits and what decisions improve.

A simple explanation of how we know, with a link to the source.

A summary of confidence and limits, including uncertainty and what comes next.

One visual, such as a diagram, graphic, or animation.

DEVELOP AUDIENCE-SPECIFIC VARIANTS, SUCH AS:

Public or taxpayers.

Policymakers.

Technical stakeholders.

CREATE CONTENT IN MULTIPLE FORMATS, SUCH AS:

A searchable, accessible webpage.

A short video.

A social media carousel.

References

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Clear Communication Index. Retrieved March 8, 2026, from CDC Clear Communication Index.

  • Davies, S. R. (2008). Constructing communication: Talking to scientists about talking to the public. Science Communication, 29(4), 413-434. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547008316222

  • Dudo, A., & Besley, J. C. (2016). Scientists’ prioritization of communication objectives for public engagement. PLOS ONE, 11(2), e0148867. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0148867

  • EMBO Reports. (2020). Complementary scholarship argues for moving from the deficit model (one-way transfer from expert to lay audience) toward dialogue models characterized by mutual learning and the acknowledgment of different perspectives and values. https://link.springer.com/article/10.15252/embr.202051278

  • Environmental Science Communication. (2018). Research in environmental science communication similarly argues for integrating storytelling to increase stakeholder engagement and support evidence-based decision-making. Springer. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13750-018-0116-4

  • McCallie, E., Bell, L., Lohwater, T., Falk, J. H., Lehr, J. L., Lewenstein, B. V., Needham, C., & Wiehe, B. (2009). Many experts, many audiences: Public engagement with science and informal science education. Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/48909382_Many_Experts_Many_Audiences_Public_Engagement_with_Science_
    and_Informal_Science_Education

  • NASA Science Activation. (n.d.). About Science Activation. Retrieved March 8, 2026, from NASA Science Activation.

  • National Academies. (n.d.a). Communicating science effectively. Retrieved March 8, 2026, from National Academies - Communicating Science Effectively.

  • National Academies. (n.d.b). Two-way engagement is a long-standing best practice. Retrieved March 8, 2026, from National Academies - Two-way engagement.

  • National Academies. (n.d.c). This shift matters especially for federally funded science. Retrieved March 8, 2026, from National Academies - Federally Funded Science.

  • National Institutes of Health. (n.d.a). Clear Communication. Retrieved March 8, 2026, from NIH - Clear Communication.

  • National Institutes of Health. (n.d.b). Plain Language. Retrieved March 8, 2026, from NIH - Plain Language.

  • National Institutes of Health. (n.d.c). Checklist for communicating science and health research to the public. Retrieved March 8, 2026, from NIH - Checklist.

  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2016). Risk communication synthesis. Retrieved March 8, 2026, from NOAA - Risk Communication Synthesis.

  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2022). A model of service delivery for the NOAA water initiative: Final report. https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/A-Model-of-Service-Delivery-for-the-NOAA-Water-Initiative_FINAL.pdf

  • National Science Foundation. (2023). A simple and elegant framework for communicating the taxpayer value of NSF-funded research. https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23042/nsf23042.jsp?org=OLPA

  • Nature. (2024). How uncertainty is communicated can influence trust. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03948-4

  • Nisbet, M. C., & Scheufele, D. A. (2009). What’s next for science communication? Promising directions and lingering distractions. American Journal of Botany, 96(10), 1767-1777. https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.0900041

  • Office of Personnel Management. (n.d.). Plain Language. Retrieved March 8, 2026, from OPM Plain Language.

Publicly funded science earns its fullest value when it is not only discovered, but also Understood. 

The science itself may begin in labs, datasets, and fieldwork, but its impact depends on how well it is communicated to the people who fund it, use it, and make decisions based on it. That is the art of science communication: helping rigorous work become visible, meaningful, and trusted.

Looking for Support?

LMD’s content team excels at turning complex research into meaningful, real-world value for your organization's audiences.

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