Mat Lien
Mat Lien
  • Home
  • Who I am
  • Experience
  • More
    • Home
    • Who I am
    • Experience
  • Home
  • Who I am
  • Experience

A Promise We Can Trust

Brand Authenticity

Arizona Public Service (APS) is the largest energy provider in Arizona, serving 1.2 million customers while operating under intense public, political and regulatory scrutiny. 


Brand work at APS lived at the intersection of public trust, safety, policy and long-term infrastructure investment.

Building Trust

This was not a consumer brand seeking attention. It was a public-facing organization where clarity, consistency and credibility mattered more than persuasion.

The Challenge

APS needed to communicate complex energy topics to a wide range of audiences while maintaining trust and accountability. The brand had to serve customers, employees, shareholders, regulators, political leaders and community partners, often at the same time.


There was also internal divide and confusion about the essence of the organization. To some, the brand meant providing reliable energy. To others, it meant keeping people safe. To others, it was about making energy affordable. All of these were important responsibilities, but none of them, on their own, functioned as a unifying brand story.


At the same time, APS operated within strict regulatory and compliance requirements, translating technical and policy-driven topics into clear, human communication without losing accuracy or credibility.


Key challenges included:

  • Navigating public, political and regulatory scrutiny
  • Clarifying the organization’s purpose beyond functional responsibilities
  • Aligning internal culture with a shared brand promise
  • Managing high-volume creative output without sacrificing trust or precision
     

Every message carried weight. Mistakes had real consequences.

My Role

As In-house Creative Director, I led brand and creative operations across the organization. My responsibility was to steward the APS brand with care while enabling teams to work efficiently and confidently inside a highly regulated environment.


My role included:

  • Brand stewardship and creative direction
  • Building and leading multidisciplinary creative teams
  • Developing operating procedures, workflows and prioritization models
  • Partnering with executive leadership and corporate communications
     

This work required steady leadership, sound judgment and a deep respect for public trust.

The Work

A Promise we can Trust

Created a brand promise and a supporting visual hierarchy to create clarity and assist employees with a storytelling tool that would unite the organization around the same brand story.

Through collaboration with employees and executive leadership, we worked together to develop a unified brand promise.

We designed a set of icons that would guide each employee through the storytelling process.

Then we expanded the toolkit to guide both executives and employees from every department to a consistent brand story.

This visual was created to remind every employee that at APS, we are "Steward of the State". This phrase enhanced the larger team message.

This tool ensured that all executive strategies were aligned across the organization so that every employee heard their unique strategy in the same framework that tied them all together.

Authentic Story Brings Genuine Inclusion

Energized communication tools for shareholders and community stakeholders.

Brand is sometimes synonymous with relationship. Just translating in different languages is not true connection. We extended our brand to its authentic expression for multiple audiences.

An improved promise lead to an improved customer experience including the introduction of an app that gives real-time data for energy usage.

TruStage

Arizona Public Service

Arizona Public Service

Branding that belongs.

Branding works best when it feels natural in its environment. I focus on showing what good looks like in real spaces and real moments rather than applying logos and color blocks everywhere.

See More

Arizona Public Service

Arizona Public Service

Arizona Public Service

A promise we can trust.

Every strong organization needs a unifying idea that people can feel and act on. I help define and embed that principle so it shows up consistently in language, behavior and decision-making.

See More

Banner Health

Arizona Public Service

Banner Health

Leadership with care.

Leaders shape culture through what they say and how they show up. I work closely with executives to develop messaging platforms and communication rhythms that build trust and connection.

See More
  • Who I am
  • Experience

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept