Employees. Partners. Clients. We’re all on the same side and the same team here.
We are a relationships-first design, marketing, and growth partner to the publishing industry.
Our guiding principle is simple—cooperation over competition. We believe that genuine success and sustainable growth flourish when people work together rather than against each other. We believe that authentic partnerships based on mutual benefit make for healthier businesses, healthier people, and a healthier world.
Our team is your team, and our network is your network.
Our methodology is straightforward—define, design, deliver. First, we help our clients define their audience, define their strengths, and define their hopes, goals, and dreams. Next, we design a holistic plan for reaching the right people with the right message at the right time. Finally, we deliver the tools, messaging, and relationships to bring it all together.
We don’t just connect the dots, we create them for you.
We have history.
This is who we are—just imagine what we could do together.
We have history.
This is who we are—just imagine what we could do together.
1998-2002
Launched as Surf This! Web Design and headquartered in metro DC, we helped businesses and federal clients like the CDC, DoD, and NIH take some of their earliest steps online. From web design and multimedia kiosks to desktop- and browser-based applications, we brought conventional clients to the cutting edge.
2003-2009
HQ moved to Brooklyn, NY, and triggered rapid evolution in our services, our team, and our client list. Our design group expanded into branding and identity, and our strategy group launched with an eye toward SEO, marketing, and growth. Along the way, Surf This! became field15 to acknowledge all the new ground we were covering.
2011-2023
Reorganization and restructuring led the way to our home office in Providence, RI. The global transition to cloud-based computing inspired the birth of our infrastructure and operations services. And our bond with publishing cemented as we partnered with authors, artists, and agents like Naomi Klein, V, and Roam Agency.
2024
With a fresh new look and sharpened focus, we embarked on a new era. While AI sent shockwaves through the arts, corporate media devoured everything in its path, and big tech laid waste to long-established business models, we continued providing authentic partnership and clear guidance, even through the murkiest of waters.
Founders
field15 is led by long-time life and business partners, Dave Rankin and Catharine Rankin. They are dedicated to helping clients build a platform for meaningful relationships and authentic partnerships. With the support of world-class and award-winning staff, partners, and advisors, they’ve been connecting the dots, building bridges, and guiding clients for nearly three decades.
Dave is a co-founder of and the executive lead at field15. He’s responsible for defining the strategic vision, plotting the course, and executing the company’s tactical plans for the future. Additionally, Dave serves as the principal strategist and advisor on many marketing and growth campaigns for field15 clients.
Dave is the former CEO and Publisher of The Pragmatic Programmers, the former Open Source Expert at The New York Time ’s web property, About.com, and a former senior software developer with over 20 years of experience.
Dave is passionate about the power of relationship-building and cooperation over competition, and he greatly enjoys his board work outside of field15 where he’s able to share his message and approach with companies not related to the publishing industry.
Catharine is a co-founder of and the creative lead at field15. She’s responsible for defining brand vision, expressing identity through various mediums, and ensuring company cohesion across all outlets and channels. Catharine also serves as a principal designer.
Catharine’s print and award-winning digital design work has appeared in major outlets, she has written for both regional and national publications, she has led production teams for agencies like the CDC and DOJ, and she has over 20 years of experience as a senior designer. She has also worked with multiple non-profits who are tackling world issues like tsunami relief, elder care, micro-economic development, and gender equity.
With a background in environmental journalism and formal training from the prestigious E. W. Scripps School of Journalism, Catharine has always been passionate about conveying the deepest possible meaning through the marriage of beautiful design and precise messaging.
Wanna see what we can do together? Let us know how to reach you.
Wanna see what we can do together? Let us know how to reach you.
Front Matter
Publishing guidance, wisdom, and predictions for authors, agents, and publishers who want to stay ahead of the story.