A New Site for an Evolving Agency
When I started Wordsmithie in June, 2010, I wasn’t sure where we were headed—but I knew that the task of finding great content creators was bedeviling everyone I met in Silicon Valley. Even my marketing colleagues at Google (where I worked from 2005-2010) were struggling to find great writers and editors for everything from UX to email campaigns and case studies to blog posts.
Leaving Google may have been a leap of faith—especially just as the Great Recession was taking hold—but a lot of great writers, editors and designers were floating around out there with me like astronauts on a space walk. They were solo-preneurs who had spun out from corporate and agency jobs, enjoying the sensation of free-floating while also searching for a mother ship. Wordsmithie quickly became their home base as we formed a collaborative, virtual agency where writers and designers could thrive without giving up their autonomy.
We published our first site, a serviceable but quiet little lamb, via Drupal in early 2011. It showcased an array of our talents and services, but we were still nascent, finding our way as we refined our message and expanded our team, skills, client list and partnerships.
Fast forward three years to 2014. We now have locations in Europe and—launching this month!—Asia (based in Singapore), and support clients around the world with a global team of creative talents. What started as a one-studio agency devoted to Google has expanded into multiple studios supporting clients large and small and every size in between.
We knew we needed a new site to represent our fast-evolving company, and that it had to express our delight at what we’ve become and our enthusiasm for all that lies ahead. This site was a group effort. Marlene Tam, our design director, helped to define our brand; Michael Gaylord, who runs our European team, took ownership of the site architecture and content; and Katina Johnson, one of our studio directors, ran the technology and tools side of things. Jim Leeke, our editorial director, joined the fray by seizing our blogging bull by the horns.
Bringing it all together was our talented (and delightfully named) digital agency partner, Squeaky Carrot. Their phenomenal designer/developer Lluc Pallejà caught the spark of our brand from Day 1 and brought it to life.
This new site is just a launchpad, however. We’ve got some big plans for our next four years and beyond, so watch this space. We’re just getting started.