Walking the Talk, Serving to Serve: Third Sun Productions

The satisfaction of serving a community you care about comes from walking your talk. Third Sun Productions is glowing, radiant and strutting their services for the SLC community. Their team motto, “Work Hard. Be Honest. Do Good,” is more than a simple core value—it’s their goal, day in and day out. Beyond high-quality customer service, the team at Third Sun knows their work is a driver for change. Founded by Jocelyn Kearl and Troy Mumm, They listen for what their community needs and design accordingly.

All of the team members at Third Sun have a background in nonprofit work and care deeply about our community. Over the last few years, the local visual branding firm has contributed to what they feel makes SLC a great place to live. Third Sun has seen rapid individual participation and a huge response to their recent, community-facing projects: The Utah Ale Trail, a campaign showcasing local micro-breweries, Design for Good, a grant program for nonprofits, and The Neighborhood Project, a community-wide call-for-art.

The Utah Ale Trail initiative started as a pet project in 2017 by ‘Chief Problem Solver’ Mumm with the intention to support the recent boom in local breweries. Inspired by Vancouver’s local brewery map app, the Utah Ale Trail initiative includes an annual Trail Walk and a community directory featuring all 41 Utah breweries listed and mapped for user ease. Client Success Manager Sabriel Gee notes, “As a team, we are all passionate about beer, local beer and eating delicious food.” Third Sun will hold an Ale Trail Fall Crawl this year from Oct. 21–23.

“As a team, we are all passionate about beer, local beer and eating delicious food.”

From another angle, the Design for Good program supports nonprofit organizations, tackling a broad array of local causes by providing in-kind services. Each year, one nonprofit is awarded the grant to help build capacity, improve outreach and fulfill organizational goals. Gee says, “As a small business, we can relate and be sensitive to other business owners. We understand budget constraints, wearing more than one hat, the long haul and the big picture, and we strive to make all of that work in the real world.”

Valued at over $10,000, the Design for Good grant program has shown the community impact of having a website, especially for organizations aiming to provide accessible online resources for their community—such as 2018 Grant Recipient, Utahns Against Hunger. “Websites are so visual—organizations have split seconds to stand out,” says Gee. Graphic Designer Delaney Stevens is responsible for incorporating and communicating an organization’s personality and core values visually through the Design for Good program. In 2020, Third Sun awarded two grants where they felt the community would benefit from it most, providing in-kind services to both Fit to Recover and South Valley Services.

Lastly, The Neighborhood Project is a for-fun opportunity to engage creatively with local artists and art enthusiasts. While 2019’s debut focused on branding Salt Lake City neighborhoods, the 2020 edition focused on lives in quarantine, offering the much-needed opportunity to create a piece that represents what you’ve learned in your own neighborhood. Kicked off by former Third Sun employee Michael Yount of Y Design, this initiative offers a community-led, judgement-free playground for professional designers and graphic dabblers alike. Third Sun had an entire class at Dixie Tech create designs, as well as contributing students from the University of Utah and members of the Third Sun.

“Websites are so visual—organizations have split seconds to stand out.”

Through their shared passion of design, Third Sun conjures massive community spirit. With over 300 community members showing up to support The Neighborhood Projects’ People’s Choice Awards in 2019, the team at Third Sun sees the genuine demand for this project to continue in the future. Learn more and check out last year’s winning submissions at neighborhoodprojectslc.com.

As active members of the community, Third Sun have impacted the lives of countless members of Salt Lake by staying creative, engaged and locating where their services can create the greatest impact. Third Sun will also be taking part in Salt Lake Design Week where they will be partnering with a current client of theirs, Neighborhood House, to host a discussion about the importance of good design in the nonprofit world on Oct. 20. Find more information at thirdsun.com.