About SMQ Consulting
SMQ Consulting is a digital strategy studio led by Steve McQuown, helping arts organizations, creative businesses, and mission-driven brands thrive online through smarter data, systems, and storytelling.
From day-to-day consulting to long-term digital infrastructure, we build tools and frameworks that make creative work more measurable, sustainable, and human.
The Optimize.Art Ecosystem
What began as a single consultancy has evolved into a connected ecosystem of highly targeted websites and tools—each exploring a specific intersection of creativity, data, and strategy. The Optimize network includes specialized verticals like Optimize.Institute, Optimize.Giving, and Optimize.Expert — all part of the broader Optimize.Art initiative.
- Optimize.Art – Digital strategy for arts and culture organizations.
- Optimize.Institute – Education, research, and capacity-building for nonprofits, museums, and higher-ed partners.
- Optimize.Giving – Digital fundraising, donor analytics, and storytelling for mission-driven organizations.
- Optimize.Expert – Cohorts, courses, and coaching for creative professionals and strategists.
- Optimize.Cafe – A community hub for conversation, collaboration, and ideas.
- Optimize.Vin & Optimize.Wine – Strategy and storytelling for vineyards, tasting rooms, and regional producers.
- Optimize.Town – Local data dashboards and community digital-vitals projects.
- Optimize.Eco & Optimize.Garden – Environmental storytelling and digital strategy for nature-focused organizations.
- Optimize.Dance | Optimize.Music | Optimize.Photo | Optimize.Photography | Optimize.Theater | Optimize.Film | Optimize.Ink – Creative verticals celebrating and supporting artists across disciplines.
- Optimize.Day – A new annual initiative inviting individuals and organizations to pause, reflect, and refine the systems that power their creative work.
Each site serves as both a focused learning environment and a testbed for new tools, analytics dashboards, and automation systems developed through SMQ Consulting.
Related Projects & Platforms
Beyond Optimize, SMQ manages several specialized domains and tools that support data-driven strategy across industries:
- DataMain.io & DataMa.in – Central data hubs for analytics, reporting, and automation.
- FinePointData.com & Looker.Tools / LookerData.Studio – Advanced dashboards and visualization utilities.
- Leelanau.Digital – A community pilot exploring regional digital health and tourism insights.
- GreatLakes.Best – Civic and regional initiatives.
- NeonYellow.com | NeonYellow.Ink | NeonYellow.Shop – A creative collective and design offshoot celebrating independent artists and makers.
- OptimizeDAO.com | OptimizeDAO.xyz – Experimental frameworks exploring decentralized collaboration.
- TheOptimizt.com | Optimizt.io | Optimizt.digital – Hybrid analog-digital tools and zines designed to bridge physical creativity with AI-driven insight.
- Roundhouse.Design | Parks.Marketing – Ongoing design, branding, and experiential projects.
Our Mission
We believe digital strategy should feel creative, not mechanical. Through SMQ Consulting and the broader Optimize network, we help organizations and artists optimize what matters—so they can spend less time buried in screens and more time creating, performing, and connecting with their audiences.