Digital Wave

When TJ Gunther's four-year-old asked for "sour jellybeans," he assumed she meant exactly that.

After a few failed guesses, it turned out she actually wanted Sour Skittles. She knew what she wanted; they just weren’t using the same definition.

It’s a dynamic we see all the time in agency life.

In higher ed and nonprofit work especially, different teams can use the exact same words but mean completely different things. Throw in shifting leadership, cross-departmental committees, and institutional traditions, and finding a shared vocabulary becomes a project requirement of its own.

Precision is hard, but misalignment is expensive. 🎯

In his latest post, TJ breaks down the 3 communication patterns that show up in complex projects—and how to build a translation layer that keeps everyone on the same page:

🔗 https://www.digitalwave.com/2026/07/what-my-four-year-old-taught-me-about-client-communication/

What My Four-Year-Old Taught Me About Client Communication - Digital Wave Explore valuable client communication lessons inspired by parenting. Understand the importance of clarity and expression.

✨ Today, we’re shining the spotlight on Gillian Hyam, our Senior Web Developer!

Gill has been a cornerstone of the Digital Wave team for almost 20 years. As a senior web developer, she focuses on building cohesive design systems, ensuring that every website we launch is operational, user-friendly, and responsive across devices.

Beyond her technical skills, Gill is a natural collaborator who bridges the gaps between our designers, other backend developers, and content strategists to keep our workflows running smoothly.

When she isn't coding, she’s a singer, photographer, and a busy mom to three daughters and three dogs.

Gill, thank you for two decades of dedication, incredible work, and thoughtful collaboration. We are so grateful to have you on the team! 💙