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Gregory could put down roots just about anywhere and make things grow. Perhaps he’s using his B.A. in biology more than he admits. It could be that his second degree in philosophy just makes him look at life with too much logic to ignore all the possibilities for expansion.
In any case, art and science never looked so easy, so logical and so very practical. Check out our new web look here at Roaring Women to get a feel for Gregory’s work. With the Rogue Republik touch we can now get our message out even more effectively.
The road to rogueville began in the corporate world of Toronto where Gregory began his professional life (leading) creative, technical directing, developing user interface (UI) and clearing out cobwebs in site development.
Fast forward to a move to Vancouver and web development for a company that started going in a different direction from the one Gregory had in mind for himself. The logic of his situation presented itself in no uncertain terms: entrepreneur and career-satisfaction or remain an employee and have the “if only” voice buzzing in the background. And so, in January of 2004 the brainchild known as Rogue Republik was formed.
The first step was to clearly identify the company and capture its essence in a memorable name. Gregory knows a thing or two about branding, as well as the frustrating difficulty of getting a domain site that hasn’t already been registered.
Rogue Republik succeeds in suggesting change, creativity and bringing people together to build on their own vision. The name and the company encompass Gregory’s ideals and imagination. He gets to exercise his creativity with new challenges every day because the diversity of the company’s client roster means that there is no resting on a laurel of templates: one client’s direction could easily be another client’s wrong turn.
This brings us back to branding. You can have a great website that isn’t very helpful if it isn’t the persona you want to project, or as Plato said, “know thyself.” The Rogue Republik website promises that, “. . . as long as you have a distinct personality, you’ll be remembered. Your brand statement doesn’t have to be rude, humorous, or shocking to have an impact. It just needs to be unique and genuine.”
And yes, this might sound like a relationship seminar, but it’s true that good business is built on good relationships, and the best relationships are built on clear communication.
This seems self-evident until you start looking at some of the websites that aren’t nearly as effective and purpose driven as they could be.
The process begins with interviews, honesty, and the client’s willingness to go beyond mere web design. For Gregory it isn’t about just producing a product.
His organic approach (there’s that biology degree again) encompasses the ongoing needs of the client. The Rogue Republik team enjoys the challenge of taking a traditional business plan and translating it into web development that streamlines the work process and bottom line.
A big “for instance” comes to mind with a project for the University of British Columbia. The team mapped out the work processes of UBC staff and incorporated everyday tasks into software that streamlines the administrative process.
A second click to Rogue Republik’s work for the Government of Canada displays intriguing prompts that tease visitors to stay long enough to forget that it’s a government website.
A third click and you’re at a homepage that required yet another approach. The ExpatExpert site runs as an online interface that allows the client to easily update her homepage blog and keep her writing chops finely honed.
A cookie-cutter approach to client requirements doesn’t work. “It’s a needs-based approach and often begins with a brand assessment.
The many issues that people face often require a number of products and services,” says Gregory. He’s warmed up and continues, “The best conversion in the world is useless if no one goes to your site in the first place. Good design will never overcome faulty usability.
To be successful and provide true value we need to look at each project in its necessary context.”
This dynamic attitude has resulted in state-of-the-art products such as Open Market – a point-of-sale software that helps clients manage their own accounts; Propaganda – software to run effective and measurable bulk emarketing campaigns; and, KommuniKate – a kute name for an advanced file sharing and communication system.
Gregory is one of the lucky ones – someone who loves what he does and thrives on a creative challenge. Even luckier for his clients, he knows when to pull out all stops to monitor a critical launch and when to enjoy the beauty of Vancouver and come back to the work table refreshed and ready to help you make your virtual mark on the business world.
Keep an eye out for Gregory’s newest brainchild. With Redwerks he promises to continue pushing his creative and service instincts through a teamwork approach. Soon we’ll all be seeing red and that promises to be a good thing.
Written by: Gabriole Wilson |
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