Years ago, when Experience Institute was still a scrappy little idea, we were trying to do more than just build a business, we wanted to build a brand that people trust.

Which, if you’ve ever done it, you know is a ridiculous and sacred process—like therapy meets architecture. You’re not just choosing fonts; you’re trying to name the soul of your work in a way that makes the right audience feel…at home.

I was working with two friends and incredible designers: David Sieren and Rod Hunting. They’re the kind of creatives who can spend an hour debating the difference between “intentional” and “purposeful,” and somehow make you love every minute of it.

For weeks, we workshopped Ei’s brand, sketched logos, argued over typefaces that looked almost identical, and reviewed websites. One day, David leaned forward in his chair and said, “Okay, if Ei were a person, what kind of person would it be?”

We sat with that. And somehow, after all the post-its and PDFs, we landed on two words that felt right: Sophisticated and Warm.

After talking about why for a while, Rod then asked, “Which famous person comes to mind when you think of sophisticated and warm?”

A pause.

It was 2013, before the media had descended into total divisiveness. And the first person who came to mind then was Anderson Cooper.

We chuckled and agreed to sit with it. I printed a photo of Anderson and pinned it to our wall. Gray hair, calm eyes, that faint smile that says, “I care and I’m genuinely listening, and also…I know my shit.”

That felt about right.

Over time, those two words—sophisticated and warm—became more than brand traits. They became a kind of internal compass.

Sophisticated meant we cared about craft. When every other company seemed to focus on under-designed materials from the 2000s with lots of business jargon, we made sure all our materials were beautifully designed. We took the time to create a sharp website, delightful materials, and well-crafted emails, books, and resources. We wanted our community to feel pride when they associated with Ei, like when you experience Apple or Nike.

Warm meant we cared about people. We would talk about clients and learners as part of our community or refer to them as friends. We shared stories of both professional growth and personal development. We showed real faces across our materials instead of stock images. We didn’t shy away from sharing our own stories, challenges, and experiences as we grew this independently owned shop in a sea of VC-backed startups.

Looking Back

Over the years, those two words kept resurfacing in how we built our website, in our workshops, in how we wrote job descriptions, even in the way we opened meetings. And as I look back at Ei’s work in 2025, they feel even more relevant. Teams everywhere have been forced to sharpen their craft. Leaders (many of you) are working tirelessly to create or reinforce culture where people feel steady enough to do great work.

At Ei, these words aren’t just marketing ideas. They’re how we build. They reminded us that learning isn’t just about getting better at work; it’s about getting better together.

Looking Ahead

As we look to 2026, we’ll be strategizing on how we continue to build with rigor, to stay curious, to treat every interaction — from a workshop to these emails — as a chance to help someone take a meaningful step.

Like our own quiet north star, they’re a reminder that the best companies, like the best people, hold tension well: they aim high, and they stay human.