Not all brands are meant to play it safe.

Riversmith Media is a creative advertising studio for brands, authors, and founders who are willing to commit to an idea, a point of view, and a little creative risk.

We believe marketing decides the story.
Advertising tells it louder.

If you’re looking for safe, consensus-approved work, we’re not your studio.
If you’re looking to make something people actually notice—we should talk.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

A note before you reach out.

Advertising that works doesn’t tiptoe.

It risks misunderstanding.
It creates tension.
It makes some people uncomfortable.
And it commits fully—or not at all.

That’s the work we’re interested in making.
And it’s the only kind of work we take on.
Start a Conversation

What we actually do

Here is what we help bring into the world...

Bold advertising concepts and campaigns:

  • Print, editorial, and publication design that doesn’t feel dusty

  • High-impact ads, postcards, mailers, and statement pieces

  • Creative direction for brands tired of sounding like everyone else

  • Book and publication design for authors ready to take their work seriously (including Amazon KDP)

We don’t manage platforms.
We don’t chase trends.
We don’t water ideas down.

We develop the idea—and design the moment.

You implement and put into action.

WHO THIS IS (AND ISN’T) FOR

This is for you if…

It’s a fit if you:

  • Trust instinct as much as data

  • Understand attention is earned, not approved

  • Want work that feels alive, not “safe”

  • Are willing to try something before you know exactly how it will land

It’s not a fit if you:

  • Need unanimous approval to move forward

  • Want to play it safe “just in case”

  • Believe good ideas come from committees

  • Are looking for quick, cheap, or generic

THE FAITH LINE

One more thing...

We don’t work on projects that compromise our faith.

That doesn’t mean quiet work.
It doesn’t mean bland work.
And it doesn’t mean playing small.

It means conviction, integrity, and creativity that points toward truth—not away from it.

THE INVITATION

If this sounds like you…

We’re not building a roster.
We’re not looking for volume.

We’re open to a few brave conversations with people who value ideas, honor the work, and are willing to commit to something memorable.

If that’s you, drop us a line. It's as simple as that.
our anti-boring manifesto work with us

Observations

Observations is where we study what already exists.

Campaigns. Brands. Ideas. Moments that earn attention—and those that quietly disappear.

Apple: No Explanation

Apple’s most iconic campaigns didn’t sell features or specs. They sold identity. This observation looks at 1984 and Think Different to explore how restraint, symbolism, and commitment earned attention—and why trusting the audience mattered more than explaining the product.

READ NOW

an OBSERVATION: Simplicity, earned

An exploration of simplicity as a discipline—not a shortcut. This Observation looks at the advertorial as a lost art form, the intelligence of the Golden Age of Advertising, and why saying less only works when the thinking underneath is complete.

READ NOW

Old Spice: Dusty, Then Dangerous

Old Spice was a dusty, forgettable brand—until it decided not to act like one. This observation explores how humor, self-awareness, and creative risk rebuilt trust, earned attention, and proved that even “boring” categories can feel alive again.

READ NOW
read all observations

On truth

At the heart of it, we’ve always learned from truth.

Jesus disrupted expectations.
He unsettled the establishment.
He made people uncomfortable enough to pay attention.
He taught through stories, not systems.
And He always forced a decision.

Truth tends to do that.
It doesn’t blend in.
It invites response.

Your marketing and advertising strategies and campaigns can work like this, too.
start a conversation