Once again, Stokefire is dragging out the Now Hiring sign.
Now that we've beefed up our Creative and office support staff, guess what?  We need somebody to keep us all organized.  The details are below:

Traffic Manager

What We Need: A person with outstanding organizational skills, experience in project or traffic management, love for detail, and devotion to the idea of enabling team success.

What You'll Do:  Initial duties will include the creation and implementation of usable project systems and procedures to enable repeatable successful implementation of both internal and client facing projects.  After that, you'll work with senior executives, administrative staff and creative team to plan, monitor, manage traffic, and report progress relating to our full range of internal and client-based projects from before the contract is written through the final invoice.

What You'll Get:  You'll be wrangling a fun-loving, driven and highly talented team that has recently beaten most of the top agencies in the world in head-to-head competition.  This is a high energy and positive working environment where your skills will be challenged and stretched every day.  Competitive salary and benefits.

Gotta have: 3 years of experience, strong problem solving and communications skills, Mac computers, great interpersonal skills.  You'll need high levels of flexibility, adaptability, and comfort with ambiguity. Also: significant initiative for independent action and consistent follow through.  Capability with online PM or workflow management systems a necessity.  Experience with Intervals a plus.  Also a plus: PMP, PMI-SP, or in process.

Along with your resume, please send a letter to iwanttowork@stokefire.com responding to the "gotta have" list above.  Please put the words, "organizing Stokefire" in the subject line of your email.  Thank you.

We know you’ve been holding your breath out there, wondering if Stokefire ever found the organizational genius we were seeking to fill the Executive Assistant/Office Coordinator position we advertised here and elsewhere.  We weren’t looking for much – just a friendly and cheerful person who can guard the gates, manage the mail and phones, mind the facility, schedule the conference rooms, plan events, herd cats, set up the library, name all the constellations, keep the Boss' schedule organized, fix latitude and longitude, keep the Boss organized, and archive and catalog our extensive and colorful aggregation of old documents stored in the world’s saggiest collection of Whole Foods sacks.  That’s all.

And, guess what?  We found one.  Megan Stemen does it all (even the cat herding) with such good cheer and straightforward efficiency that we already know we’re lucky as heck that she came looking for us.

Megan comes to us from the gnarly world of car towing, where she owned her own Tag and Title business and developed heady skills in office and document management, system development, communications, and data management.  In addition to that she is highly experienced in dealing with sometimes irate strangers on a daily basis.

Not, mind you, that we get a lot of irate strangers at Stokefire Central.  In fact, the folks who take the trouble to seek out our kind-of-secret-headquarters are most often fans, whether of the client type, job seekers, or just old friends.  We’re right in Old Town Alexandria, but in a building behind a building – you could maybe find Batman’s cave more easily than our front door.  You’re just going to have to call Megan and ask for directions.

You’ll be glad you did.  And not just because you didn’t get lost.

Somewhere in the world, there are regular kinds of companies who hire people with regular sets of skills to do regularly constructed and clearly described jobs in predictable and repeatable ways.  Somewhere in the world, having all that work out without surprises is the definition of success for the Human Resources department.

And then there's Stokefire.

When your company is different all the way back to the "why", you pretty much never get to paint by the numbers.  Which makes recruitment and hiring an interesting and - dare we say it? - different kind of enterprise.  Grab a standardized job description off the Internet?  Don't check.  Use a blandly worded posting on the usual job sites?  Don't check.  Look for folks with tons of experience in our own industry, who know all the usual ways of doing things?

Really.  Do. Not. Check.

Because lately, we seem to be developing a corporate personality that's a little bit cowboy, a little bit missionary, a touch of Thomas Edison and a sprinkle of Bucky Fuller.  We're turning advertising and branding inside out - and our clients seem to love how it all works.  But one thing about how it all works is that, no matter how entertaining and sometimes even magical it can look from the outside, this is not sleight of hand.  No puff of smoke, no hidden trap doors.  What we do is real.  And it looks like magic mainly because so much that's done in advertising is everything but real.

What does real mean?  It means we don't put anything in front of a client that doesn't add value.  Pretty isn't enough.  Nice sounding won't do it.  Fits with the corporate color scheme?  Don't even get us started.

We do the background work that allows us to spot what's real about our clients' products and services, often before the clients have spotted it for themselves.  And whether we're answering the phone, refining a logo design, or creating a billboard campaign, we need to stay focused on the value proposition of real.  Oh, and of course on the necessity of being leave-you-winded creative and original so the ideas coming out of our shop don't look like anything you've ever seen before.  That too.

So how do you pick new talent to drop into a mix like that?  The first thing is, you don't look in the usual places and you don't search using the usual "job posting" prose.  We've been experimenting with writing job listings that sound like Stokefire - such as the one we recently used to net our new support person who keeps the office, and the boss, running smoothly.  We placed the ad for only a few days, and got well over a hundred applicants.  Many of them were significantly overqualified.  Of course that's somewhat a reflection of the state of the economy.  But we also had folks tell us that they wanted, more than anything, to work here.  At Stokefire.  Because of who we are, and why we are.  Because of the real.

Another thing we tried was to build a little test into the actual ad; we asked for some specific information in the cover letter.  Since this was an attention-to-detail kind of a job, we figured that would be a way to identify who paid attention to details.  And sure enough, candidates sorted themselves out (or in) by the way they responded, both to the tone and the specifics.  A few spot checks through the applications in the "no" pile confirmed that those folks who were just responding in a rote way to our ad probably wouldn't survive a day in our ever-changing environment. 

Do you notice the theme here?  All the "tricks" we used were real, specifically designed to elicit honest responses that may not even have felt like responses to the applicants themselves. 

It's a funny thing.  Once you make a commitment to the real, it snowballs until you are compelled to examine every aspect of your operations.  And oddly enough, "the usual" bureaucratic efficiencies rarely fit well with real actions by real people - the results of those generic procedures are all too likely to be generic results.  Just not good enough for Stokefire.

You read it correctly, we're looking to add to our growing team. Here's the skinny:

Office Coordinator/Executive Assistant

What we need: A positive, organized, energetic individual who can keep the boss and the office running smoothly, support a team of creatives, and welcome clients.

What you get: A non-toxic, non-boring place to work; competitive salary/benefits; a chance to use your capabilities to make good things happen.

You’ll do: hospitality and phones, executive calendars, space management, supplies and operational logistics, errands, shipping, event planning, and more.

Gotta have: 3 to 5 years relevant admin experience; demonstrated organizational skills; exceptional oral and written communications; computer literacy (Mac preferred); upbeat personality, and plenty of energy. Own car, valid driver’s license, clean record. Willing to learn new things. Start in early August.

Interested? Send your vitae along with an essay or letter responding to the items in the “gotta have” list here.

What kind of designer are you? What kind of style do you have? What is your favorite type of design? What kind of process do you use? These are just a few of the ongoing questions that seem to follow designers wherever we go. My answer to these questions: Do I have to be one type of designer? I don't have a style per say, I adapt my techniques and strategy to the needs of the client. I love all types of design, so I don't play favorites. And my process? Well, I can't reveal all of my secrets, now can I?

Recently, I found a blog post that describes ten personality types that supposedly characterize Graphic Designers. Do I agree with all of them? No. Do I find truth in pieces of these? Yep.

Truth 1) "All graphic designers are unalike." Agreed. We aren't all the same. In fact, twenty designers can learn the same methods, be taught by the same people and they will turn out different. Truth 2) “Every graphic designer tackles clients in a different way.” Agreed. Some designers sell strategy to their clients, others sell the look, what’s more important tends to vary amongst different types of designers. Truth 3) I don’t fit neatly into any one of these personality types.  

So what kind of designer am I?

I used to be the type that just cared about the looks of a design. Since I started working at Stokefire, I've come to appreciate what's really beneath the surface of the design. Now, I favor the concepting stage over the technical stage. I'm the type of designer that focuses on the message being portrayed before I worry about what it looks like. I will always pick up a pencil and paper before testing my fate with the computer. I can work quickly and get through a project before the deadline, while still paying close attention to detail. I can withstand long hours of design time without breaks, simply because I love doing it. And most of all, I'm the type of designer that loves a challenge and is willing to take a leap when testing new ideas and new techniques.

What kind of designer are you?

Quick. The last three roads you drove on - were they made of asphalt or concrete? If you aren't in the paving or construction industry I'm fairly certain you'll only be guessing.

My unscientific survey of road knowledge (and when I say "unscientific" I actually mean "SERIOUSLY unscientific") revealed that quite a few people don't realize that there's a difference between the two materials. I heard variously that concrete is what asphalt is made of, that asphalt is what concrete is called when it is used as pavement, and occasionally that they're two very different road materials. (The last one is true.)

The fact is that the average consumer or driver has little incentive to learn the difference. Paving decisions are made without the input of Joe and Jane citizen. Learning about initial costs, life-cycle costs, rolling resistance, hardness, rutting (but not the animal kind), and the like is just not something that people are inclined to do if they don't get to put the knowledge to use.

Interesting tidbit: One way to determine if you're on an asphalt road? See any potholes or worn down ruts where your tires typically roll? Asphalt.

...and suddenly you think you may just care...

And that's kind of the point.

The truth is that when people find out what the actual differences between concrete and asphalt are they, in fact, DO care. And many care a lot. Enough to talk about it.

You may not realize it, but you probably spend a lot of time talking about pavement. When was the last time you got stuck in traffic due to road work? Tell anyone about it? Chances are good that you were complaining about asphalt without realizing it. (Trust me - the math works on this one. Given concrete's longevity in combination with the number of asphalt roads in America you're likely to endure about 47 asphalt-related traffic jams before you find one from concrete.)  And when it comes to traffic jams from construction and the potholes that bring the construction about it is pretty clear that people are ready to vent. We're not wanting to vent about the people doing their jobs - we're wanting to vent that the jobs have to be done at all. Shouldn't pavement hold up to stuff like tires and weather?



Perhaps that's why there's been so much buzz about this sign and campaign we developed for PCA (full disclosure - Yep, they're a client, in case you missed it)  Minnesota Public Radio, and WCCO (a CBS affiliate) have produced their own pieces on it. USA today and World News picked up PCA's press release.  And the paving and construction industry has been talking about it. Heck - even locals are buzzing.  Why? Because the billboard is placed over a section of I-94 that is currently undergoing its third resurfacing since the 1990s. And because the sections being resurfaced are asphalt.

So, how DO you get people to care what their roads are made of? Ask the Portland Cement Association. Because they're doing it.

Imagine this. You go to your favorite Asian restaurant after what seems like a bad day. Like when the bird singing outside of your window is a vulture or when your twin sister forgets your birthday. A day when you don’t feel motivated and help must be around the corner. And then there it is: a fortune cookie. Why yes! A delectable treat of imparting wisdom. An endless void of truths and should bes. It will have the answer! You grab it off the shelf and excitedly rip open its plastic wrapper and cookie shell to see what life changing prophecy is to be told, only to read...  

“It's about time I got out of that cookie.”

What?! What the haywho does that mean? What a silly fortune cookie! And then it hits you, that fortune has impatiently been waiting to come out. It has been inside its hard shell for so long just sitting to see the bright daylight outside. What would we be like if we were like that? We all have great potential just waiting to be realized if only we could break through our shells. What if we let nothing stand in the way of our quest to use our gifts and talents? What if I didn’t care how other people did things and do what I know is right? What if I became part of an organization who did just that?

And so I did.

Hello everyone, my name is Jonelly Sharp and I am the new Junior Graphic Designer here at Stokefire. The above story is an example of what many designers and non designers alike feel from time to time. We feel stonewalled, discouraged, and even downright unmotivated. When we feel this way, the reality is, the only thing holding you back is you. Be like water. When you reach an obstacle. Go around. Even in the tiniest crack, water will find a way in. With that belief I am very pleased to be part of the Stokefire family. I hope to use my design expertise along with my cheerleading attitude to make Stokefire stand tall among the giants. My first day here was wonderful, everyone is genuinely here to rock the branding world. I am so excited to be part of something ready to explode on the scene.

So here’s to you reader to be the rock star that you are, and here’s to Stokefire to be the revolution it will be. It will be televised, and we will be watching.

-Jonelly

As far as I can recall, I've never actually written a blog post about one of our own blog posts before. Today that ends. A post I wrote way back in 2008 - before Stokefire offered in-house design - was pointed out to me after my Twitterview with Bryn Mooth. It was the beginning of our move into the design and advertising world from a pure verbal and strategic organization.  Looking back on it I can remember the frustration I felt as I tried to work with some of the very best designers in the area. Their processes and ways of communicating just weren't helpful to me. I couldn't turn their conversations about technique and process into something that would move an audience. Beauty is easy. I know a few hundred designers that can draw a picture that would take my breath away. But unless I'm selling an asthma inhaler that's not something that's going to move product.  I need meaning. I need to get the audience to act. Design has the power to do it... but we so often just let it be pretty or eye-catching.

That sucks.

Technique is what enables you to produce the work (and it's something I will freely admit that I lack) but it's intellect, strategy, and creative thinking that gets you to produce work that moves people to act in ways you want them to. 

I'm somewhat infamous within the walls of Stokefire as having said, "It's not your talent that's holding you back, It's your inability to influence my decisions." And I said it to a member of my own team. I freely admit I can be a cold-hearted SOB sometimes. Technique doesn't convince people. It's like having an incredible vocabulary... It's a great resource, but if you have nothing important to say the huge volume of words aren't going to help you. I don't care how great you are with Illustrator of Photoshop, if you're not trying to get the viewer to take a step that they haven't yet taken then you're creating a work of art, and not commercially viable design.

As you can tell, I'm a bear when it comes to critiquing the work of my designers (and just about everyone else, too.) I give no quarter. I attack the hell out of everything - but I do it so that when the work is put in front of the client... and then in front of the world... it's already shown it can bear the weight of intense scrutiny. I've seen brand concepts pitched where everything is happy rainbows and unicorns in the meetings... and then it launches and both the client and branding firm look like idiots because no one thought to put it under some pressure before it launched. Stokefire isn't immune. We've had our share of projects that go out the door with less than we'd like because we couldn't convince the client to do what we firmly believed was the right thing. That's not the client's fault - it's ours.  And THAT is why I focus so hard on getting the story right - making sure that it is so freaking overwhelmingly compelling that clients can't resist saying yes.

So... look back at the post that kicked off this ramble if you want. It was certainly interesting to me to relive the frustration around trying to integrate with design practices that just don't work with a brand strategy firm. The fact that we're getting the job done (not easily, not cleanly, and not without a helluva lot of bleeding) after having brought the work in house makes me think we may just have done the right thing.

The process which turns an egg into a bird is one of infinite difficulty, yet surely an even harder task would be getting that lowly egg to fly.

For me, internships should be about fulfilling that middle ground. The incubation. Without which there is no hope of soaring high. One needs to hatch.

The problem is that the dedication needed to move an intern from shell to sky is not provided by every internship. That's where Stokefire comes in.

Tate's Plug-n-Play Talent post was like a breath of fresh air to me, and the first sign that Stokefire would offer the dedication which is so essential to becoming the best. To flying.

To finally have someone recognize potential far and above experience was inspiring in itself. It's a courageous path, and evidently a successful one. I want to be part of that.

In short, all signals point towards the fact that a Stokefire internship is the incubator which will equip like a mother hen. I'm sure to be kept warm, but not cozy, until hatching time. I'm excited to flap my wings.

-Karl