We’re looking for a project manager

By Cat | Cat's articles April 16, 2012 | Permalink

You know the type: Organized, diligent, vigilant and passionate about getting work done—and not just finished, but finished on-time, on-budget and in-scope. But wait, there’s more…

The role
We want a PM who’s great at collaborating with creative types and interfacing with client teams in the course of managing multiple projects at once.

Candidates should have broad experience managing projects (ideally online as well as off), from initial scoping/estimating/planning, to creating schedules, allocating resources, setting milestones, coordinating work across teams, prioritizing deliverables and ensuring delivery.

The right person for the job will be a good communicator and decision maker, and be able to appreciate Keith’s borderline obsession with Coke Zero.

About Gabardine
We bring together creative strategy, design and messaging in a single, continuous thread and then weave it through our clients’ marketing communications—online and off—to help strengthen their brand fabric.

We’re a smart, nimble shop that does the creative stuff of advertising and marketing communications: Creative strategy, concept, design, copywriting, photography, production—the whole shebang.

We’re not focused solely on interactive or, for that matter, on anything else that might limit how we can help our clients improve results and build business. Nope, our goal is to do what needs doing. And we’ve got the experience and expertise to do pretty much all of it.

Qualifications, skills, attributes
To be considered for this position, you must have a minimum 3 years agency experience leading a mid-sized (5-9 person) cross-competency team, across a range of project types. Additionally, you should be able to…

Create project plans that set firm and realistic deadlines for each phase of a project, while setting client expectations aligned with their needs
Track and communicate project progress to all stakeholders
Identify and mitigate project risk by adjusting timelines and budgets accordingly
Speak knowledgeably about varying approaches to creative development for the Web (design and IA)
Act as liaison between Client, Gabardine and 3rd-party teams to gain consensus on priorities and tasks
Recommend and implement solutions to process inefficiencies
Prepare and maintain weekly status documentation
Coordinate and actively participate in client presentations
Monitor and track hours for all internal resources to ensure project profitability
Identify future, evolutionary and new business opportunities to help drive Gabardine’s business
Show proficiency in Microsoft Project scheduling
Have a current working knowledge of standard Web tools such as HTML, Flash, JavaScript, and database utilization and methodologies

To Apply
Email us at JoinTheGab@gabardine.com with your info. You should also feel free to ask questions or refer us to someone you may think is perfect for the role.

Applicants must submit resume and salary requirements. No phone calls, please.

Why our sites cost more than $7.99/mo.

By Jonathan | Jonathan's articles March 21, 2012 | Permalink

And why we may not be the agency for you.

Resources like Homestead, Volusion and Intuit’s sitebuilder use pre-made templates designed to suit the wide-ranging needs of different businesses. Within those templates, you change things like color schemes, navigation elements and content. Plus, you can update text and imagery whenever you want, since a content management system (CMS) is built right in. All of which is fine. Great, in fact, if what you really need/want is a basic site, with limited functionality that more or less serves as brochure-ware; a piece of collateral that users can click through like they would turn pages.

That last bit isn’t meant as a pejorative. On the contrary: we acknowledge that, for many businesses, especially those of limited size and resources, using a ready-made site service is the way to go. It’s just not how we approach what we do.

We build custom websites. Rather than using pre-existing templates or assets, we create sites ‘from scratch,’ following a clearly articulated, proven-effective process. That process is professionally managed through clear estimates, collaborative meetings and scheduled reviews. It includes comprehensive requirements analysis, content & functionality development, detailed information architecture, high-end user centered design and hand-done code that’s fit for purpose—not just anyone’s purpose; your purpose.

We don’t pretend to have a monopoly on this process. Any good team worth its interactive salt (whatever that is; we totally just made it up) would go through many if not all the same steps. And we don’t mean to suggest that this is the only way to build websites successfully. Every business is unique, and in some cases a part or parts of the process can be replaced with existing work/inputs.

What we do know is that our way is better. The usability is better, more intuitive; the interface more nuanced and detailed; the content and functionality more aligned with customer needs. As a result, the sites themselves perform better, delivering some combination of improved task completion, deeper engagement, greater brand recognition & positive trending across KPIs.

As an agency that’s more accessible, approachable and nimble than the big boys, we get inquiries on the regular from prospective clients who want big-boy results, but have limited budgets. That’s understandable, especially these days, when businesses need to scrutinize every expense. In some cases, though, the folks kicking our tires lack a fundamental understanding of both what sites cost and why there’s such a variance between templated experiences and custom-crafted ones.

“we create sites ‘from scratch,’ following a clearly articulated, proven-effective process that’s fit for purpose—not just anyone’s purpose; your purpose”

We spend a decent amount of time helping prospects big and small reconcile their expectations with their budgets, taking care to avoid the “How much website can you afford?” approach. On occasion, though, we have to tell them they’d be better served with a different option. It’s odd to turn away work, but we’re in business, too, and have to evaluate potential clients as much as they evaluate us.

And although they may not be equipped to say how much our work is worth, we are.

Gabardine.com redesign: testing, continued

By Jonathan | Jonathan's articles February 24, 2012 | Permalink

Ye Olde Pepsi Challenge A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about the ongoing redesign of gabardine.com, and our use of some simple testing (using Verify) to provide some direction and early course correction to layouts and architecture.

Based on our previous A/B test, we learned that folks responded well to one concept in particular. From there, we ran additional tests to see if people understood our navigation labels and could find things on the pages. There were also a couple of different approaches to copy placement and some aesthetic elements on which we wanted to get a gut check before proceeding with design.

Mostly, though, we tweaked our testing approach to try to get the purest possible results. Here’s how:

We anonymized our layouts to remove all traces of our name and our actual client roster. (There was some debate about transparency, but decided the process was paramount and revealing details about Gabardine might skew the results.)
We paid for test results. This allowed us to get results outside our circle of friends/family/colleagues and eliminate bias.
Where possible, we replaced ‘lorem ipsum’ with semi-real looking content; at this point we were testing real copy and the ability of people to understand our business.

So how did it go?

In the tests where we asked for aesthetic judgements (A/B preference tests), we ended up with close results, usually around 60/40 or so. In those instances, the comments provided the most interesting information (ex: respondents like one design over another, but a majority disliked the same element of the preferred design). People have different tastes, and they seem to be divided into two camps on issues regarding color and layout. At the end of the day, we’ll just need to make some judgement calls based on our own tastes and preferences (it’s our site, after all). Luckily, the layouts in question are more similar than different, so it should be pretty easy to work out.

In tests that were task-based (“Where would you click to see our services?”), we got great feedback that will help us re-label and create stronger visual cues. We’re very conscious of the balance that needs to be struck between how we view our own offerings, and how the general user on the web tends processes what we do. Eliminating organizational bias from labels can be hard, but ultimately it’s about usability, not pride.

We’ll continue to test as we refine. And when we have stronger results and a design we like that’s supported by numbers, we’ll update you.

Have questions/comments about our process or testing in general? Leave ‘em for us and we’ll respond.

We’re looking for a Project Manager’s Project Manager

By Peter | Peter's articles December 13, 2010 | Permalink

You know the type: Organized, diligent, vigilant and passionate about getting work done—and not just finished, but finished on-time, on-budget and in-scope. But wait, there’s more…

The role

We want a mid-level PM who’s great at collaborating with creative types and interfacing with client teams in the course of managing multiple projects at once.

The right person for the job will be a good communicator and decision maker, and be able to appreciate Keith’s borderline obsession with Coke Zero.

About Gabardine

We bring together creative strategy, design and messaging in a single, continuous thread and then weave it through our clients’ marketing communications—online and off—to help strengthen their brand fabric.

We’re a smart, nimble shop that does the creative stuff of advertising and marketing communications: Creative strategy, concept, design, copywriting, photography, production—the whole shebang.

Qualifications, skills, attributes

To be considered for this position, you must have a minimum 3 years agency experience leading a mid-sized (5-9 person) cross-competency team, across a range of project types. Additionally, you should be able to…

Create project plans that set firm and realistic deadlines for each phase of a project, while setting client expectations aligned with their needs
Track and communicate project progress to all stakeholders
Identify and mitigate project risk by adjusting timelines and budgets accordingly
Speak knowledgeably about varying approaches to creative development for the Web (design and IA)
Act as liaison between Client, Gabardine and 3rd-party teams to gain consensus on priorities and tasks
Recommend and implement solutions to process inefficiencies
Prepare and maintain weekly status documentation
Coordinate and actively participate in client presentations
Monitor and track hours for all internal resources to ensure project profitability
Identify future, evolutionary and new business opportunities to help drive Gabardine’s business
Show proficiency in Microsoft Project scheduling
Have a current working knowledge of standard Web tools such as HTML, Flash, JavaScript, and database utilization and methodologies

To Apply
Email us at JoinTheGab@gabardine.com with your info. You should also feel free to ask questions or refer us to someone you may think is perfect for the role.

Applicants must submit resume and salary requirements. No phone calls, please.

Alright Mr. DeMille, we’re ready for our close-up

By Peter | Peter's articles December 7, 2010 | Permalink

With deference to Gloria Swanson and Billy Wilder, Gabardine launched its new site today.

The impetus for the redesign was pretty simple: Make it even easier for folks to understand who we are, what we do and how we’re different.

We also wanted to celebrate all the continuous threads Gabardine’s woven over the past 18 months or so in the form of brand identities, videos, Web sites, collateral pieces and more.

So, yeah, the new site’s a pretty big deal. But the real news is that Gabardine’s still growing, working with great clients, old and new, on some incredibly exciting and rewarding projects. Spread the word…

(And note: Any similarities between the casts of Sunset Boulevard and The Gab are purely coincidental. Except for the makeup. Peter and Norma Desmond wear the same eyeliner.)

Senior art director wanted. Inquire within.

By Keith | Keith's articles November 30, 2010 | Permalink

The role

We’re looking for a Senior AD (initially for freelance work; full-time’s a possibility down the road) who can collaborate with our creative and account teams to come up with strategically sound creative for our clients.

Candidates should have a broad portfolio (of actual work or spec, doesn’t matter) that demonstrates the ability to work across design platforms, from Web sites to print collateral, event signage to branding, direct response to online advertising and more.

We don’t want just another set of hands, but rather someone who can contribute to our brainstorms, improve the quality of our creative product and help us explore interesting new places for lunch (possibly the one area in which we’re running out of ideas.)

About Gabardine

Gabardine brings together creative strategy, design and messaging in a single, continuous thread and then weaves it through our clients’ marketing communications—online and off—to help strengthen their brand fabric.

We’re a (deliberately) small shop that does the creative stuff of advertising and marketing communications: Creative strategy, concept, design, copywriting, photography, production—the whole shebang.

We’re not focused solely on interactive or, for that matter, on anything else that might limit how we can help improve results and build business. Nope, our goal is to do what needs doing. And we’ve got the experience and expertise to do pretty much all of it.

Qualifications, skills, attributes

To be considered for this position, you must have a minimum 3 years of agency experience and be…

proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash (including Action script), HTML
experienced in both online and offline media, including a combination of direct response, interactive, print and display
familiar with typography, color, navigation, animation and accessibility standards
willing to take and execute on creative direction in a fast-paced environment
able to present creative work confidently and effectively, explaining complex concepts in simple, easy-to-understand terms
an independent and efficient worker who takes ownership of deliverables
personally accountability for on-time, on-budget, quality execution
possess a basic understanding of information architecture
comfortable documenting interactivity and animation through wireframes and storyboards
knowledgeable about current print and Internet design techniques/technologies
part of social media communities, with active accounts on the likes of Facebook/Twitter/Flickr/YouTube/FourSquare
the kind of person who carries a sketch pad and camera phone…everywhere
artistically inspired in different ways by at least 10 Web sites that you can reference at the drop of a hat
capable of describing passionately and convincingly about the one piece in your portfolio that best represents you as a person

To Apply
Email us at JoinTheGab@gabardine.com with your info, or feel free to ask questions or refer us to someone you may think is perfect for the role.

Applicants must submit resume, salary requirements and a portfolio (pdf or Web site) of work. No phone calls, please.

You’re an art director.

By Keith | Keith's articles June 16, 2010 | Permalink

Well surprise, surprise, surprise—we’re in the market for one. And we want it to be you.

Why? Because you’re an accomplished pro, with serious design chops.

You have a ridiculous understanding of creative, both digital and print, which shows in your stunning portfolio.

Beyond the work, though, you’re a student of design. You dig museums and galleries and portfolio reviews and sites that seem esoteric to everyone else. You don’t dream in just color, you dream in textures, finishes, and materials.

In addition to being great at the things you do, you’re great at who you are. We find your personality endearing, and your confidence inspiring.

Of course, we do have some requirements. You should…

have accounts on the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube, and post to them regularly
play video games with some frequency — or at least watch them for the graphics alone
carry a sketch pad and camera phone everywhere
refer to at least 5 sites that provide artistic inspiration
be able to speak convincingly about the one piece in your portfolio that best represents you as a person

(A passion for food—or lunch, at the very least—is strongly preferred, but not required.)

If you’re interested, let’s talk. Send us a note at jointhegab@gabardine.com, Tweet us @TheGabTweets, or hit us up on FB at TheGabUpdates.

The pleasure of growing pains

By Peter | Peter's articles May 6, 2010 | Permalink

Some things hurt soooooo good, they should be illegal. (And, let’s face it: Some are.)

But take your mind out of the gutter for a minute, and you’ll see it’s true for lots of things; like the way you feel after a tough workout, or when you eat one of those ridiculously tart candy-thingies your kids bring home on Halloween and absolutely must be sampled to ensure the li’l uns’ safety.

I know, it's uncanny right?

Lately, we’re finding out first-hand that the same is true for growing businesses. Or for ours, at least.

As word gets around about Gabardine and our list of happy clients grows, so do the complexities of running the agency itself. From program management to payroll and everything in between, stuff gets exponentially tougher with each new piece of business. And here’s the thing: We’re loving every excruciating minute of it.

Why? Because it’s what we’ve always wanted to do. What we were meant to do. And, for that matter, what we should have done a long time ago. (But that’s a different story altogether.)

The point is, we recognize our growing pains for what they are, i.e. tangible, honest-to-goodness indicators that we’re doing something right, and that Gabardine is fulfilling its promise—not just for us, but for our clients. And that’s an awesome feeling. But how are we dealing with the discomfort? Glad you asked…

For one thing, we’ve added a bunch of people in positions that are incredibly important to delivering on our service model, including a senior project manager, a marketing coordinator, a director of digital experience and a writer/IA, to name a few. And we’re on the hunt for mid-level graphic designer who can help us conceive and execute more good works. If you know somebody who fits the bill, let us know.

We’re also looking for larger space. (Though that may have more to do with my volume control problems and Keith’s penchant for speed metal than actual physical limitations.)

Finally, we continue to expand our universe of amazing contract creative talent. Truth be told, in this regard the economic downturn has worked in our favor. As big, bloated agencies and once-profitable brands shed great people, we’re able pick them up to work on terrific projects for our burgeoning client roster. Funny how things work out.

Finally, we’re putting our financial house in order; using the information and insights of the past 10 months of growth to inform future planning—for materials, resources, space…everything. As you might imagine, this is tough stuff for a couple of creative guys. But here, too, we’ve got some incredibly talented folks with tremendous experience helping small agencies become big ones. So we’re following their guidance, even as we continue to lead with our guts.

After all, guts (and chutzpah; and maybe a little luck) is what got us here—a place where we have the pleasure of feeling that little bit of pain that goes along with growing something you believe in.

It's a new dawn, it's a new day…

By Peter | Peter's articles June 10, 2009 | Permalink

…And I’m feeling good.

Like the man says

Okay, so I’m no Adam Lambert. (Though it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been likened to a ‘flamboyant’ personality.)

I am, however, extremely excited to announce that Keith Hensel, founder of Designhensels, is joining Gabardine as Principal, Design Director.

Keith’s as comfortable and accomplished in print design as he is in the interactive space. Check out his bio to learn more, or view some of the amazing work he’s done for the likes of GE, Reuters (Thomson Reuters), Walden Media and Maidenform.

In his new role, Keith will oversee all aspects of design for Gabardine, leveraging over 15 years of experience in concept development, art direction, user-centered design, illustration, photography and production. He’s already brought his considerable skills to bear for Gabardine—have you checked out our updated identity?—and will no doubt do the same for our clients.

Equally important, however, is the fact that Keith’s a pretty incredible person. He’s volunteered in Ecuador, South Africa and post-Katrina New Orleans, building homes and shelter for people in need. He chisels stone sculpture in his spare time. He can eat 5 plates of Indian buffet faster than you can say ‘mulligatawny.’ And for more than 10 years now, I’ve been proud to be his friend.

It really is a new start for Gabardine, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Please join me in welcoming Keith, an integral part of how Gabardine will create Continuous Threads that strengthen and expand the fabric of our clients’ brands.

Feeling around the Web's soft underbelly (ewww!)

By Peter | Peter's articles April 16, 2009 | Permalink

Ahhh, the Interwebs. So vast. So expansive. So chock full of knowledge and information and macrame tips. It truly is a wonder to behold. Even better, you can have one of those ‘web sites’ with amazingly little effort: All you need is a domain to call your own. That, my friends, is where the fun starts. (And by ‘fun’, I mean something akin to what the settlers must have experienced buying snake oil from hucksters out the back of covered wagons.)

snake_oil

Our own story of adventure began innocently enough, by naming the company Gabardine. It was, we agreed, pitch-perfect and rich with meaning, i.e. We come up with big ideas and weave them through a company’s marketing communications, like a continuous thread that strengthens and extends the brand fabric.

But, alas, it seemed that gabardine.com was already spoken for. A ‘domainer‘ had parked a nasty contextual ad-serving page there, and according to Internic, there was a legit owner. What was a young company to do?

Being the creative geniuses we are, it only took a couple of weeks to come up with the novel idea of using gabardinestudios.com, instead. ‘Phew,’ we thought, the prospect of coming up with another doozy of a company name weighing heavy on our minds.

And then, well, we just went about growing our business. You know: Taking meetings. Designing stuff. Breaking in the corporate card. Writing stuff. Snorting NoDoze. Killing it.

Still, something seemed…off. Like we weren’t completely legit because our domain didn’t match our company name. Of course, we knew this was completely irrational and that lots of businesses go the Plan B route because it’s either too costly or too much of a hassle to get the domain they really want. (Group favorite: Open.) But that knowledge wasn’t enough to stamp out the burning flame of domain desire.

So we set about investigating what it would take to make gabardine.com our own. We expected the worst. A king’s ransom, perhaps. A first-born male child. The head of Alfredo Garcia. We were way off.

Our first attempts to contact the domain owner directly were less than successful. Actually, that’s the nice way of saying it. In truth we were given the run-around between what seemed for all intents and circumstances like two different shell companies posing as registrars of gabardine.com and, we’re sure, countless other domains. Fed up and, frankly, a little queasy, we decided to bite the bullet and try a more conventional route of paying the folks at sedo.com to track down the real owner and sort the whole mess out.

…we were engaged in a steel-cage deathmatch with an unnamed, unseen dark force that wanted to suck us dry for the privilege of owning a domain…

Here’s how Sedo works: You pay $69 for them to track down the real domain owner and extend an offer that you pretty much pick out of thin air. Ours was $850. That’s right, 850 smackeroos. The thinking was that if a textile magnate with an interest in finely woven fabrics was out there, s/he’d probably be using the domain productively. This certainly didn’t appear to be the case, judging from the cheesy, squatter-like page that was posted, so we figured $850 was a good place to start the bidding.

According to Bill, a ‘domain broker’ at Sedo, we figured wrong. He said they had contacted the owner, who promptly countered with an offer of $7000. The penny, as they say, dropped. We understood instantly that we were engaged in a steel-cage deathmatch with an unnamed, unseen dark force that wanted to suck us dry for the privilege of owning a domain that s/he most likely obtained by going through the dictionary in the hopes of a nice, fat payday. We reluctantly countered by nearly doubling our offer to $1600, and pointed out that negotiations were officially over.

Bill said he was ‘working closely with a colleague on the deal,’ as the owner was in Korea, and translation was an issue. (Great.) We held our collective breath for a few days and then, lo and behold, the textile magnate agreed to our price! But the fun wasn’t over yet. It took almost two weeks, another Sedo representative (Colin, my Transfer Consultant) and—surprise!—a 10% commision for Sedo before we were able to navigate our way out of the rat hole of wire transfers and domain permissions.

In the end, though, we got the domain we wanted without sacrificing an arm or a leg.

And the experience of being exposed to the seedier side of the Web? Priceless.