What we do and how we do it is who we are.


by Justin Crawford

"What we do and how we do it is who we are." dojo4 came up that tagline last fall when we launched this website. It was purposely broad. It channeled Whitman:

"Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multititudes."

It echoed Abbey:

"Let our practice form our doctrine, thus assuring precise theoretical coherence."

It speaks to our incredible breadth, which spans visual and interface design, massive web application and API architecture, content and product strategy, CMS customization and development, and all facets of mobile design and development, to name a few. It also encompasses our broad ambitions: to be simultaneously a creative collective, an open hackspace, a kickass software development agency, a product laboratory, a center of mindfulness, and more.

This is an enigmatic combinationsometimes hard to sell; sometimes hard to explain. Is dojo4 a Rails shop? A branding agency? An ExpressionEngine shop? An iOS shop? A startup incubator? A coworking space? A coffee shop? We have been a little of each, at different times and for different people. For example: When someone asked us, less than a month ago, whether we'd come out and build a chicken coop for them, we were thrilled to say "Yes!" (One of our competitors in coop fabrication eventually won the job. But we tried.)

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Almost every day, someone walks into dojo4 with a big idea, a dream they want to make real. They don't know what web framework it should be built in, or whether it lives on the device or in the cloud, or which part of it is the most difficult to design. They come in to dojo4 because they want to create a new thing in the world, and that's what we do.

We succeed at that by listening to our customers, helping them articulate their needs, and providing critical context informed by decades of experience building technology products. And, as we've grown, we've heard again and again that people want dojo4's help co-creating their visions. They want to work together with us to make ideasfirst making them awesome, then making them awesomely.

Which is what we want to do, too. Brilliant!

It is a gratifying revelation to discover that people want you to do what you already do well. With that in mind, we're redoubling our commitment to building things with you. dojo4 is focusing our efforts on the excellent consulting and creation services that we're known for. We're hiring outstanding developers and designers (email Corey for more information). We've established a clear corporate structure and vision. We got hoodies for all the crew; we're getting stickers for all of you. This is serious.

At dojo4, what we do (build your incredible ideas in technology and art) and how we do it (with integrity, excellence, innovation and execution) is who we are (Fred, Justin, Ara, Alyssa, Dave, Corey, Garett, Jesse, and Ben behind the camera.)

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Thank you for being a part of this incredible place.