We Focus on Content
You’re a successful, quality-driven professional
in your chosen field. We complement your work
with excellence in writing and editing.
Strategic
Our trademark project planning strategy ensures that the right people are involved from the beginning, project milestones are clear and achievable, and deliverables are met on time and within budget.
Professional
Honouring commitments, being transparent, listening, communicating, and providing our recommendations and solutions with courtesy and respect—these are the cornerstones of our success.
Dedicated
We are dedicated to making sure our clients are satisfied with what we do. This means being transparent about our processes, keeping our promises, and following up to ensure continued satisfaction.
At Clear Expressions, we believe that the quality of your written content reflects on how people perceive the quality of your business. We also believe that creating that quality can often take far too much of your time if writing isn’t your area of expertise. Our mission is to help each client produce excellent written material by providing clear, practical solutions tailored to meet that client’s unique needs. Whether you are documenting new HR policies, preparing a bid response, developing regulatory documents, documenting your management system, or preparing your PhD thesis, we can help.
In short, if you need solid support with creating written material that lets your readers find, understand, and use the information they need when they need it, we can deliver.
Based in Canada’s National Capital Region, Clear Expressions was founded by Carolyn Johnstone. Carolyn is a member of both the Editors’ Association of Canada and the Plain Language Association International (PLAIN). She holds an Honours BSc degree in psychology and cognitive science from the University of Toronto, a Certificate in Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University, and a diploma in Technical Illustration from Sheridan College. She has a Reliability Level security clearance with the Government of Canada.
Since founding Clear Expressions Inc. in 2003, Carolyn has worked with large and small businesses, government agencies, and non-government organizations on all manner of writing projects. She thrives on delivering excellence.
Unlike traditional consulting firms, Clear Expressions prioritizes real solutions over trying to sell you services you don’t need. No matter the size of your project, our three-pronged service commitment is consistent, straightforward, and transparent: We work with you to build the most strategic solution; we get the work done; and we follow up to ensure your continued satisfaction.
These Are a Few of Our Favourite Things
Plain Language Translation
One of our core strengths is being able to see specialized content from the perspective of a non-expert and adjusting it so it resonates with the rest of the world.
Turning Many Voices into One
Pulling input from various experts into one document that flows can be challenging—we love turning that kind of potential “mess” into one voice that all contributors can take pride in.
Infographics
Carolyn Johnstone’s illustration experience gives her a unique skill for creating or editing infographics for optimal effectiveness and alignment with the written content.
Project Management
Our proven project management process ensures that all stages of the writing or editing project—timelines, milestones, budgets, etc.—are planned and managed through to completion.
Learning
We love to learn and to share new tips, tricks, and insights where we can while we continue researching new topics and networking with other writing and editing specialists.
“So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.”
Dr. Seuss