The FreshSpectrum Challenge

Do you have what it takes to break down technical work for broader audiences? Can you prove it?

As of August 20, 2026 the Challenge has begun. It’s also now housed inside of the FreshSpectrum Discord Community.

There is nothing wrong with writing thorough, dense, and highly technical reports and resources. But if you want your insights to drive action, you have to intentionally break them down for other people. It’s practical work requiring skills that don’t often get taught to prospective researchers and evaluators in grad school.

But with practical work, I find the best way to learn is to practice. So I had this idea to launch a set of challenges that simulate real-world data design and dissemination projects.  The kind of work I do on a regular basis with clients.

Join the Community

Here’s the gist.

• The FreshSpectrum Challenge is FREE.
• We start with an actual report or resource then take on 4 specific challenges.
  • The first is a strategy challenge.
  • The second is a storytelling/copywriting challenge.
  • The third is a design challenge.
  • The fourth is an illustration challenge.
• The goal will be to simulate real-world data design and dissemination projects where your job is to take a technical resource (a.k.a. Nerd Report) and break it down for different audiences.

By joining the challenge:

• You’ll get access to our private Discord community. It’s a place where you can share your work, get/offer feedback, connect with people like you, and get special tips & tricks from Chris.
• I’ll send you emails when I post new challenges. I would love to see you in the Discord, but it’s not a requirement. If you don’t want to join the online community, you do not have to, you’ll still have access to all the challenges.
• I plan to hold special webinars just for the challenge community, and you will be invited.

What would the FreshSpectrum Challenge look like?

There will be a set of four very specific mini-challenges. For each mini-challenge, you start with a real-world dense technical report. Then it will be up to you to take on the work of breaking it down.

The goal would be to test your skills and push your limits.

One thing I’ve learned working as an information designer and dissemination strategist is that in actual practice, clients rarely give you a perfect design spec sheet. They give you a 70-page PDF and ask you to make it useful, pretty, or more engaging.

So the challenges will be a bit fuzzy. You’ll need to make design choices, and be able to defend the choices you make. There won’t be a right or wrong answer.

Will it be self-paced?

Yes. It will be self-paced, you can do as little or as much as you want whenever you want.

Will there be webinars or a community?

There is a Discord community where you can share your work, get/give feedback, and connect with people like you. I’ll also have webinars every now and again.

Would there be a cost?

Nope. It would be free to join and participate for everyone.

The incentive for me is that the skills you would use to complete the challenges are also things I teach through my workshops and offer through my consulting services. So while I wouldn’t get money directly, a few of you might decide to take one of my future trainings or bring me in to help support your own team’s reporting efforts.

Interested?

The Fresh Spectrum Challenge is now open, you’ll find it in the FreshSpectrum Discord Community.

Join the Community