The Gauge Collective
Who
The Gauge Collective is a Chicago-based group of freelancers that describes themselves as “the anti-agency.” TGC was founded by Teddy Heidt, who previously managed brand marketing for The Walt Disney Company and Protein Bar & Kitchen. Combining his love of freelancing with his disdain for traditional agency culture and workflow, he established The Gauge Collective to redefine the client and “agency” working experience, bringing together some of the most creative freelance minds to collaborate with new to market and established brands. The team manages brand marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, and more for some of the biggest brands in Chicago and beyond, including Mariano’s, Enjoy Illinois, and Absolut Vodka.
What
When Teddy first approached me about a brand and website redesign, there was nothing he could specifically pinpoint that he didn’t like about the brand, but it was feeling stale. Teddy had DIYed their branding and website when he first started The Gauge Collective, and while he liked the minimal look, he knew it was time to upgrade to something more polished. Although Teddy and the rest of the team have tons of expertise in brand marketing, they found that working with me was the perfect way to get an outsider’s POV and breathe new life into their brand.
I began working with The Gauge Collective on a complete rebrand, updating their visual identity to reflect the next stage of their growth while staying true to their roots. Their first website had been on Squarespace, which they loved for ease of use, but aesthetically, their site had amateur energy. Using the new brand guidelines, I built a full new website in Squarespace.
The primary goal of the website was to highlight the caliber of TGC’s work, and I was so lucky to have an abundance of incredible photography to work with. My favorite aspect of the website has to be the horizontal scroll on the homepage! It was my first time attempting this, and I love how it flows with the editorial-inspired layout. TGC’s clients love it, too — Teddy just reached out to me a few weeks ago and said, “We had a new client meeting earlier this week, and they RAVED about our site!”
