Our Favorite Stories from 2023

2023 was quite the year, and we believe in the importance of taking time to look back as we move ahead. From book recommendations, to design trends, to exploring attachment styles and loss, we covered a full range of creative topics and human behaviors in 2023. Here’s a selection of some of our favorite stories from the year. Take a trip down memory lane with us.

Love Languages in the Workplace

While the love languages were originally developed for use in romantic relationships, some of the concepts can also be applied to business and coworker relationships. In a business setting, understanding and speaking your coworkers’ love languages can help to create a more positive and harmonious work environment. It can also help to improve communication and build stronger relationships with your coworkers. Read the full story.

The Points North Great Old Bay Seasoning Challenge

That’s right, we did that. The team at Points North is spicy, and in a good way. We are always open to reading new books, running new paths, learning new skills, and testing new recipes. When McCormick released a new flavor of Old Bay, we were curious, and when we found out it was Old Bay Caramel, we were bubbling over with recipe ideas from a subtle sprinkle to a full-on dousing dosage. We rated our concoctions on a scale of 1 (inedible) to 10 (#nomnomnom). While variety is the spice of life, so is actual spice. Keep reading to see what we each came up with. Read the full story.

How Your Attachment Style Impacts Your Work Environment

The Attachment Style theory dates back to the 1950s, but has definitely been having its moment in the spotlight recently. Based on John Bowlby’s theory, there are four types of attachment styles, and they develop early in childhood and often remain stable over time. Fun fact: life is about relationships. They are the spice, the thrill, the foundation, the support, the fun, the necessity for our survival and all the things in-between. They are not perfect and are rarely problem-free. If you take a few steps back, (or a mile, for an optimal viewpoint), you might be able to notice some patterns about your behavior in relationships, even if those relationships are in the workplace. Read the full story.

It’s Never Just A Brand – A Fireside Chat

Branding, marketing, and everything that goes along with promoting yourself and your company is not the big scary monster you think it is. It’s actually quite approachable. Branding plays an important role in how clients and customers experience you as a company. Recently, we sat down with Naomi, our Marketing Manager, alongside Illiah Manger, the founder of C&V Creative, and Meryl Simmons, the founder of Blossom Solutions. Our goal was to really discuss and take apart all the things that come up when talking about a company’s branding and marketing. This was part of a presentation for the cohorts of the Maryland Energy Innovation Accelerator. You can watch the presentation here and read below for the recap. Read the full story.

Hey, Whatcha’ Reading?

Whether you were cozied up with a page-turning thriller in your favorite leather chair (glass of wine on stand-by) or swiping through the Kindle pages of a romantic drama (while you try to reach the bottom of the popcorn bag), this summer was one for the books, literally. And now we’re diving into autumn with our best recommendations for what to add to your bookshelf. At Points North, we like to start each weekly team meeting with an ice-breaker. Somewhere in between “What’s your most overused emoji?” and “What’s your favorite 90s trend?” was the prompt “Tell us about a book you read recently, and why you liked it.” We each took a turn talking about new books and old classics, all for the love of literature and team bonding. Read the full story here.

A Note on Loss and Light

In 2023, our community experienced the loss of Pava Lapere, CEO and Co-Founder of Ecomap. Her celebration of life took place on September 27th at 6:30PM, at the Washington Monument, as a way to start cementing her legacy in that historic square she loved so much. This forced us to take a look at loss and light. No matter how fast the pace of the world, we must remember that the human spirit was never meant to process trauma and loss within such a short time frame. We need the space and grace that does not always come easy. Some things require a slow burn. Solace for me has always come from music, literature, and poetry. So this is where we begin… Read the full story.

In Conclusion

You can always find us designing, seeking inspiration, and pondering life questions. We are a company, and we are a company that’s made up of humans (along with the occasional toddler and household pet). We’re looking forward to going deep with you in 2024.