For extra incentive, we have the first peak at the new Cubicle Ninjas idea dojo (aka. offices)!

Updated: Alas, we’ve found our great WP cowboy. Now free of roaming the range, covered in the dust from a weary day, the great ninja-gunslinger truce is in motion.

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Job: Part-time Code Gunslinger (aka. Web Developer)
Location: Glen Ellyn, IL

Every office has a few ninjas - the go-to warriors that save the day, reverse time, and exceed client expectations. We’ve secretly collected them to form an unstoppable print design, web, and illustration army. Come join our tiny but award-winning team, who has a track record of making people smile. Let’s go leave our mark on the web.

Introducing Cubicle Ninjas.

We’re looking for:
A part-time Code Gunslinger (web developer) to join our shiny new team and build amazing things in our Glen Ellyn office.

Job Description:
We can design a mean web page. Now we need extra code gunslingers to transfer our sites to browser compliant html/CSS and then integrate into a CMS platform. You’d have autonomy over your code, so no need to have ego battles with managers or clients about the best development direction.

The primary responsibilities of the Code Gunslinger include, but are not limited to:
* Web developer with a passion for tackling new CMS customizations (Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla)
* Heavy WordPress customization experience
* Ability to code clean & compliant HTML/CSS in their sleep
* Ability to implement JQuery or Javascript solutions
* Obsessive desire to learn the newest tricks
* PHP Knowledge

The ideal candidate for the Code Gunslinger position will have:
* Samples of your coding work
* An energetic and creative attitude
* Adaptability/Flexibility
* Be able to multitask effectively
* Maintain a high degree of quality control
* Perform gracefully under pressure, meeting both inflexible and shifting deadlines

Cubicle Ninjas offers:
* Casual dress
* A creative work environment
* The chance to wake up each day and do the best work of your life

* Please no calls. If you call we will make fun of you.

Please email your portfolio samples, resume, and hourly rate to Hello@CubicleNinjas.com.

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**UPDATED***
Thanks very much to all of the talented designers who shared their work with us. Our ninja positions have now been filled, and we’ll be introducing our new team in the coming weeks. Wishing everyone who applied nothing but the best in their quest to find a creative dojo to call home!

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Job: Full-time Design Ninja
Location: Glen Ellyn, IL

Every office has a few ninjas - the go-to warriors that save the day, reverse time, and exceed client expectations. We’ve secretly collected them to form an unstoppable print design, web, and illustration army. Come join an award-winning team, who has a track record of making people smile.

Introducing Cubicle Ninjas.

We’re looking for:
A full-time Design Ninja to join our growing team on a 3-month-contract basis with the possibility of full-time employment thereafter.

The primary responsibilities of the Design Ninja include, but are not limited to:
* Print design
* Front-end Website design
* Logo & Identity design
* Presentation design

Not required but beneficial skills:
* HTML + XHTML hand coding
* CSS and Javascript
* PHP Programming
* Flash Programming/Animation

The ideal candidate for the Graphic Design Ninja position will have:
* An outstanding portfolio
* An energetic and creative attitude
* Adaptability/Flexibility
* Be able to multitask effectively
* Maintain a high degree of quality control
* Be able to work as part of a team as well as individually
* Adobe InDesign CS3, Photoshop CS3, and Adobe Illustrator CS3 ninja skills
* Perform gracefully under pressure, meeting both inflexible and shifting deadlines
* Have a willingness to be flexible to project needs (working to deadline requirements)

Cubicle Ninjas offers:
* Casual dress
* Merit-based bonus plans
* A creative work environment
* Wacom tablets for all ninjas
* Paid holidays, vacation and sick leave

Please email your portfolio samples, resume, and salary requirements to Hello@CubicleNinjas.com.

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Job: Production Ninja Intern
Location: Glen Ellyn, IL

We’re looking for:
A part-time Production Ninja Intern to work as a colorist and animator for an upcoming graphic novel release. Our artists have worked on Eisner and Ignatz nominated books, and we’ll show you the tricks alongside having a beautiful published piece in your portfolio.

The primary responsibilities of the Production Ninja include, but are not limited to:
* Base colorist for inked graphic novel pages
* The ability to draw
* Flash animation experience
* Experience with Toon Boom Studio a major plus

The ideal candidate for the Graphic Design Ninja position will have:
* An energetic and creative attitude
* Adaptability/Flexibility
* Ability to learn quickly
* Adobe Photoshop CS3 ninja skills

Cubicle Ninjas offers:
* Casual dress
* A creative work environment
* Wacom tablets for all ninjas

Please email your portfolio samples, and resume to Hello@CubicleNinjas.com.

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It has been a wonderful few months here at the Ninja Idea Dojo. Even amid the economic turmoil seen across the world, we’ve seen that Design continues to bring exponential value to clients. Here is proof:

We officially launched a little less than a year ago. No money spent on advertising or promotion.

Yet today we were featured in our 70th article or gallery. That is the power of effective branding and design. This doesn’t even take into account the hundreds of social media links and reviews, tweets, or emails to a friend.

Thanks to all of the new friends and clients who have made this possible! We owe you a giant platonic ninja hug.

Here are a few of our recent mentions:

10 Beautiful Wordpress Sites - Web Designer Mag, 2009

Cubicle Ninjas, your totally badass web design team - My Life Starting Up, 2009

Creative Business Card Designs - Logo Designer Blog, 2009

Featured Artist - Directory for Designers, 2009

We’re the official ninjas of Woo Themes

Featured Artist - ChicagoWebDesigners.org, 2009

CSSchick.com

iCoolz.com.cn

Logospire.com

Update:10 websites built with Wordpress

Update #2: 25 Unique Uses of Wordpress as a CMS (as seen on the front page of Digg)

Update #3: 72 Stunning Business Cards That Will Blow You Away

Update #4: 25 Sites of the Week

Listed on Agency Pimp

Update #5: Business Card 24

Update #5: 30 Great Uses of WordPress

Yet these people move mountains. These giants shape our future and give context to our present. They make magic. So whatever story they they tell themselves to work together, they believe it so much they’re willing to give the majority of their lives at this greater goal.

What is your business’ story? One where you save the world from itself. One where without your hard work we’re all doomed. It should leave me wanting more, hoping I’d have a chance to brush up against you in the elevator filled with questions. Make me a believer.

Because when I understand why you really matter, I’ll make your goal my own. And when you head home for the day your doors will still be open, lovingly tended after in the hearts of those that were inspired by a simple tale.

Microsoft announced a new application today called Songsmith. Designed to work the upcoming version of Windows, it is a music program encouraging users to sing as a matching background track is generated. And while novel in concept, the press they’re getting is a little less positive.

Why? Well their official advertisement shows it running on an Apple computer.

Lesson: Sometimes it is better not to do an ad then to do one so poorly it can only be used as evidence of your incompetence.

Earlier today he tackled the topic of advertising, or more specifically how your advertising is free when marketing does its job:

If the local bank were offering a sale on dollar bills, ninety cents each, how many would you buy?

Most rational people would say, “I’ll take them all please.” Especially if you had thirty days to pay for them.

So, why, precisely, do you have an ad budget?

If your ads work, if you can measure them and they return more profit than they cost, why not keep buying them until they stop working?

And if they don’t work, why are you running them?

The time-tested response is that you’re not sure, that ads are risky, that you can’t tell. And for some sorts of products and some sorts of ads, you’ll get no argument from me.

Digital ads are different (or they should be). You should know cost per click and revenue per click and be able to make a smart guess about lifetime value of a click. And if that’s positive, buy, buy, buy.

Makes sense! For more Seth Godin goodness take at look at our favorites The Big Red Fez, Purple Cow: Transform Your Business By Being Remarkable, Free Prize Inside!: The Next Big Marketing Idea, and his latest Tribes. Each book is filled with page after page of delicious mind candy.

This is not the truth, and we are shame-filled ninjas. But we lie because we care.

Last week Journalspace was in the top 100,000 websites on each with over 14,000 visitors per month. With six years of experience under its belt there was no need to believe that would change…

Yesterday Journalspace announced they had lost all user data. Every single article, image, and user was gone. After trying to restore a corrupted server the owners officially threw in the towel, citing the end of the website.

And here is why we lie. I’m not concerned with the future of the owners of Journalspace. They’re talented programmers who made a big mistake in not backing up the website more securely, but they’ll move on. I am concerned about the thousands of people who built a writing audience that will never get these readers back. Honestly, how do you console an author that lost six years of writing? How can they connect with their readers again?

This is why digital ownership is important. When you trust others too much you can lose everything. Don’t take that chance with your business.

That was until a small ad in an Illinois newspaper changed everything. Last week this ad made its way onto the internet, where it has been mentioned over in over 350,000 blogs and websites. Take a look…

When businesses say promotion is hard, I can’t help but laugh. Promotion is easy. Mimicking your competitors is easy. Parroting business cliches is easy. But saying something humorous or unique when every aspect of your marketing is drained through a committee…now that is hard.

When people come to a creative company they don’t look for the latest editions of Photoshop or Illustrator. In spite of what schools may tell you, there is a surplus of talented software wizards. People pay creatives to think for them. We solve their problems by knowing how to implement ideas. We iterate potential directions until they find the one they can proudly stand behind. We exist to mediate bad decisions. In effect - we’re their outsourced brain.

If creating were as easy as using software proficiently, everyone who knew Word would have created novels in their spare time. Those who knew Excel would have balanced their budgets with aplomb, and skilled Outlook users could send Html emails to their family without batting an eye.

And so more important than learning the tools, a young designer must accept that their first job is rooted in psychology: How do you lead a team through a series of open-ended decisions?

We’ve found that the greatest obstacle to decision-making is fear. It crops up in emails, or in conference calls, veiled through feedback, or tucked away in a hurried voicemail. Giving up control even for a moment is hard. It takes trust and respect and asks you to forget the potential failures that could lie ahead. Most people invite fear in for dinner. And once inside your heart, fear doesn’t leave easily. It makes itself home and infects choices and undermines your ability to act. How can a project possibly move forward when filled with so much doubt?

“I’m afraid for my job.” “I’m afraid my board won’t like this.” “I’m afraid the president will hate that.” “I’m afraid customers will dislike it.” “I’m afraid we went too far.” “I’m afraid we didn’t go far enough.”

We’ve worked with hundreds of start-ups. Every single start-up that had a problem deciding on a design for a logo or business card has failed. Not one, not five, every single one.

And the reason is that small decisions are reflections of larger decisions. If you are filled with fear and doubt when it comes to pointing at a brand you admire, you’ll see this same fault amplified 100x when the important business decisions arrive. After all, the color of your logo won’t matter if you don’t satisfy your clients in time.

So a note to the young designers: When looking for good clients, find the fearless. They don’t have time to mull over doubt. You’ll see them by the trail of success they’ve left behind and the strength to trust over worry.

And a note to entrepreneurs: Your job is to stare fear in the face and keep moving forward.