First Ascent Design

08/31/2026

Meet Reo, our August Pet of the Month and a permanent resident in Marketing Lead Nicole’s ever-growing feline commune! 🐱

Reo (legal name: Oreo) shares her home with two feline siblings and a rotating cast of transient foster kittens, which means maintaining her sweet, anxious composure is a full-time job. As long as she has her favorite blankie, her emotional support stuffy, 15 minutes of designated daily cuddle time with her dad, and her daily kitty Prozac, she can cope with pretty much anything. Well, except thunderstorms, during which she will be residing under the kitchen cabinets until further notice.

Full name: Oreo Hallberg

Nicknames: Reo, Reeeeeooo, Never-Done-Anything-Wrong-in-Her-Life-Perfect-Angel-Baby

Cutest behavior 😇: She has slept with the exact same stuffed toy every single night since she was a six-week-old kitten. 🧸

Worst behavior 😈: Remorseless chip theft. She will swipe a tortilla chip straight out of your hand with zero hesitation and absolute precision. 🌮

08/28/2026

Good marketing never goes out of style. Thank you to our friend Rory Laitila from AdRetro for kindly donating these six vintage advertisements that he remastered by hand! They’ve already become a talking point for everyone visiting the new space.

08/26/2026

No thoughts behind those eyes, just pure peace (and no knowledge of what a deadline is).

Happy National Dog Day from the First Ascent pack! 🐾

08/24/2026

Teamwork makes the dream work ✨

08/21/2026

Last week, our Project Manager Anna and Partnerships & Growth Coordinator Layna headed to NYC to support our friends at Harlequin Floors Americas at The DanceOne Summit! 💃

Dance teachers and studio owners came together to connect, share insights, and explore new ways to keep dance education moving forward.

Fun fact: The main stage was a Harlequin Reversible™ floor, where workshops and choreography led by Shannon Mather came to life! It was so cool to see our client’s incredible work in action!

We also loved seeing our team’s creative work take the stage, with these awesome stickers illustrated by Bruna, one of our talented designers. 🩰

The show’s not over! Stay tuned for event footage captured by our new videography and photography department 👀

08/19/2026

Our Marketing Lead Nicole Hallberg and Partnerships & Growth Coordinator Layna Scarane had a blast at the 2026 AMA Central Pennsylvania Marketing Conference in Lancaster, PA!

With a focus on Content and Channel Evolution, engaging sessions explored new ways to connect with audiences as expectations shift and platforms continue to evolve. Our team had the pleasure of attending:

💡 Utilizing Social Listening for an Audience-First Strategy with Paige Walker from The Hershey Company
💡 Putting Humanity Back in Marketing with Tyler Graham from Tyler Ryan Studio
💡 Creating Human Content in an AI World with Brandon Schmidt from Sterling Sky Inc
💡 You Are Not the Audience: How Three Separate Audiences Shaped Lancaster County's Talent Attraction Brand with Justin Johnson from Lancaster Chamber

From insightful conversations to real-world strategies, our team left feeling inspired, energized, and equipped to put new ideas into action.

A huge thank you to our amazing client, Elaine Buonopane at M. Davis & Sons, Inc., for the invitation!
American Marketing Association of Central Pa

08/18/2026

Most digital advertising forces you to cast a broad net across an entire zip code, but geofencing targets people down to the exact buildings they step into. It is ideal for reaching competitor foot traffic or trade show crowds with pinpoint accuracy. Plus, with zero-minimum platforms available, it’s far more accessible for smaller marketing budgets than most teams realize.

Read our full guide where we break down how geofencing actually works, what platforms cost, and how to use it strategically.

Learn how geofencing turns physical foot traffic into targeted mobile ads. See what platforms cost, setup strategies, and privacy rules.

08/17/2026

Back on the green for a cause that’s close to our hearts! ⛳

Our Development Lead Sean, his partner Bri, and Marketing Lead Nicole hit the course for the Putt It Forward Benefit Golf Tournament last week! We love getting out to support Nicole’s family initiative. Putt It Forward raises money to support families navigating sudden health challenges.

Learn more at puttitforward.com

08/14/2026

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been personally victimized by a 15-bullet-point slide. 🙋‍♀️

You don't need to be a professional designer to build a slide deck that keeps people’s attention. You just need a clear structure, strong visual hierarchy, purposeful visuals, and a system you can actually reuse. Follow these five design rules and upgrade your slides before your next client pitch or board meeting.

Read our guide to building better presentations on the blog: https://firstascentdesign.com/presentation-design-principles/