10. Two words: Swing state. (Our vote counts!)
9. Three-hour flight to either coast.
8. “More boulevards than Paris, more fountains than Rome.”
7. The new Bloch Building at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
6. The up-and-coming Power and Light District. (Welcome, Sprint Center!)
5. Parking: It’s cheap — and usually free.
4. Nothing like KC barbecue and jazz, local legends that have stood the test of time.
3. Thriving (not starving) artists, thanks to Hallmark, the Kansas City Art Institute, Johnson County Community College and more.
2. Breathtaking stars in 45 minutes or less.
1. The intelligence, compassion and creativity found throughout this community — which has supported Willoughby Design Group for 30 years. This one’s for you!

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, nationally known for advancing entrepreneurship and improving education, is a Kansas City treasure. We’ve teamed with the foundation and its partners, including the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation, for the past five years on its brand identity system and collateral design.

We recently designed a picture book for the Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden featuring photography by Dan White and classical poems about the changing of the seasons. The book is available at the garden, 4800 Rockhill Road.

This winter, we worked with the American Institute of Architects’ Kansas City Chapter to develop the “My Architect” campaign. Does hiring great architects improve a business’ bottom line and build community? Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art CEO/Director Marc Wilson, who championed the Bloch Building, says it does. As do former mayor Kay Barnes, who spearheaded the Sprint Center, and community volunteer Shirley Helzberg, who renovated the Webster House. Watch for the ads in playbills at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, the Lyric Opera, Kansas City Ballet and the Kansas City Symphony.

Photography by Al Tutton Photography.

One MAX line down, another in the works. After a successful team effort to name and brand Kansas City’s first rapid transit bus line on Main Street, we are collaborating with the KCATA, Taliaferro & Brown and HNTB Architects to plan and open a second route on Troost Avenue. Watch for it by 2010.

At the Kansas City Addy Awards show in February, we entered two green design projects and brought home a Gold Addy for each: Notebook designs for New Leaf Paper and our own reusable bag design, “Don’t forget the Artitote.”

In all fairness, Laurel Johnstin is a Kansas City transplant — but community involvement is her bag. Serving Willoughby as our Controller, she also serves as a board member for the Kansas Wildscape Foundation and the Kansas City Chorale — which earned national attention in February for winning a Grammy! Congratulations to Laurel and all who helped make the Chorale’s five Grammy nominations possible.