In Service: Notes from the Field
Tactical insights and thoughtful dispatches from inside the work.
Explore by topic
We write regularly about the ideas, tools, and practices shaping better public systems. View all blog posts or browse posts by theme to dig into the topics that matter most to you.
Fall internship applications now open
Public Servants’ Fall 2026 creative and civic practice internship is a paid, part-time, remote contract role offering space for early-career creatives to contribute to real projects in design, storytelling, and public-interest work. Applications are open.
Summer creative and civic practice internship
Public Servants’ Summer 2026 creative and civic practice internship is a paid, part-time, remote contract role offering space for early-career creatives to contribute to real projects in design, storytelling, and public-interest work. Applications are open.
One year in service
In our first year, Public Servants focused on building quietly alongside public teams. This reflection looks back on the work, the lessons, and the foundations that shaped our approach to public-centered design in 2025.
Public-centered design
Public-centered design is the discipline of shaping public services, policies, and operations around the needs and lived experiences of the people they affect—while strengthening trust, equity, and long-term public value. This glossary entry defines the term, explains its benefits, and outlines how organizations can apply it to improve outcomes for communities and public servants alike.
Creative and civic practice internship
Emerging creatives have an essential role to play in shaping public systems. Public Servants’ Spring 2026 creative and civic practice internship is a paid, part-time, remote contract role offering space for early-career creatives to contribute to real projects in design, storytelling, and public-interest work. Applications are now open.
How public servants build trust
What does it take to earn public trust? In this short explainer, Ashleigh Axios breaks down the ethical obligations of public servants, why structure protects the public, and how trust is built through daily choices.
Policies as promises: culture through care
Policies are more than legal documents—they’re cultural artifacts. At Public Servants, we design ours as promises: rooted in trust, care, and accountability, and built to grow with the people they serve.
Anti-ego design
Anti-ego design isn’t about working quietly in the background—it’s about showing up with humility, listening deeply, and co-creating solutions that last. Here’s how to recognize and support designers who put outcomes and communities ahead of ego.
Why I started Public Servants LLC
I started Public Servants LLC to help reimagine how public systems serve people—with care, clarity, and the courage to do things differently.
Explore the Civic Glossary
Making public service easier to understand—one concept at a time.
Government and public service rely on ideas, systems, and terminology that aren't always easy to navigate. The Civic Glossary explains the concepts that shape public life through clear, accessible articles grounded in history, practice, and real-world examples.
Collaborate
Explore what’s possible with the right expertise.