We are insightful, creative problem-solvers who help people navigate our world.

Every place has a story—one that includes the people and vision that shaped it, and the way visitors experience it. Clearstory illuminates these narratives so that people find the information they need and comfortably navigate their environment. Their wayfinding and placemaking programs enhance buildings and their surroundings, creating memorable experiences that allow visitors to easily connect to a place.

Clearstory is a trusted, responsive design partner, supporting the project’s vision to achieve a seamless integration of visual communication, brand, and building. The firm’s design process breaks down complex problems and moves owners, designers, donors and other stakeholders to consensus. In the end, finished work successfully communicates the project’s narratives and elevates the clients’ brand. 

Julie Vogel, president, keeps her focus on the user experience, working closely with teams to distill the essence of a space and elevate its design and navigability through environmental graphic design. Clients, architects and other team members appreciate her agility and straightforward approach, as well as her exceptional design skills.

Nikki San Miguel, principal, draws on her intuitive understanding of how people navigate their environments to create clear and consistent wayfinding systems. A technophile, she eagerly builds new tools and devises ways to use technology to improve processes and products.

Name change

In January 2020 Kate Keating Associates changed its name to Clearstory Inc., reflecting both Kate Keating’s retirement in 2017 and the firm’s twenty-five years of work with architects and institutions to bring clarity to the places they create through trusted, client-centric partnerships and collaboration.